Young Justice: Reborn
by Starpenmusic
Summary: A new origin story for the same team. After the Justice League's biggest failure, it's time for some changes to be made. The most significant? The creation of a covert teenage hero team. AU, No OC'S. The story is hopefully better than the summary.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

The air was charged with a thick, static coated tension. The moon was a beacon, the only light that shone onto the small clump of trees where an odd assortment of characters was gathered. They were all united though, a common fact that bound the unusual teenagers together. They were the sidekicks and partners to Earth's Greatest Heroes, the Young Justice Team. But on this night the air was laced with restless energy and bounding adrenaline.

A pale boy in a domino mask with black tousled hair surveyed the scene quietly. His trained eyes picked apart the landscape, the surroundings with the ease of a well-trained hero. Next to him, a dark skinned girl in red was on her haunches, her long hair brushing the ground. She was deep in thought, brow furrowed and lips moving, reciting ancient curses in her slight Jamaican accent. Her legs and stomach were lean and muscled, the product of rigorous training.

"Empress," Robin shifted his weight so that only the voodoo witch could hear him. "Is everything okay?"

She looked up slowly as if he had pulled her from a trance. "Okay might not be the next word." She replied shakily. "The other side is presenting me with only bad omens."

Robin gritted his teeth but didn't say anything; his time as Batman's sidekick had steeled his nerves to high intensity situations such as this one. This mission surpassed everything that they had ever done, it was the mission that would make or break the team and they were all taking it quite seriously. Well, everyone except Impulse was.

The red headed speedster practically buzzed over, vibrating with the contagious nervous energy. Robin glared at him, but Impulse only shrugged his red and white clad shoulders before dropping to the ground beside a blonde girl. She raised her nose in the air in an arrogant fashion and continued tuning her bow. Impulse picked up a red arrow and toyed with it. The girl snatched it from him quickly.

"Can you ever be serious?" She snapped. "_Some_ of us understand that this mission is too important for jokes."

She shoved the arrow back with the other ones and stood, her white skirt covering her legs, swinging her bow and arrows over her back. Had they not been in such a dire situation, he would have eyed her red sports bra clad chest or teased her about the thigh high boots, but the seriousness was so heavy that even tonight he somewhat held his tongue.

"Sweetie, don't worry. Impulse will protect you."

She just adjusted her mask and glared. However, Robin did notice the way that their hands intertwined, hidden in the shadows. A deathly pale boy with bulging muscles and black spiked hair cracked his knuckles and neck.

"Well hotshot, you got a plan?" He asked Robin.

Robin eyed the temperamental and muscled boy uneasily. Lobo set him on edge; there was something off about the guy in black leather and fingerless gloves. He was however part of the team and Robin had no choice but to trust him with his life.

"Yes, the League and I have been working on it since the mission was presented." Robin assured him.

There was a sound as if an ethereal being had shushed the team and a girl flickered into existence. She was semi-transparent, when you caught her from the corner of your eye she appeared solid, but when looking at her dead on your eyes went right through her. She hovered a few feet in the air, short blonde hair floating around her hair in an invisible breeze.

"Something big is going down; the other side is buzzing with activity." She said in her whispery voice.

Empress stopped chanting long enough to look up at the ghost. "I am getting bad omens as well." She affirmed.

Secret shuddered at whatever she had seen while being an ethereal ghost on the 'other side'. A reptilian shaped boy moved to stand next to her, as if his presence could calm her. He was green and scaled, with gills and fins, but Secret didn't seem to mind.

"Hey, the other side is already dead, remember?" Lagoon Boy prompted her. "They can't change their fates, but we can control ours. This mission will be a success." He dropped his voice. "And then we can put you to rest."

Robin's ears perked up. "You're going to put Secret to rest?" He asked, eliciting painful looking nods.

"I want to be a normal girl," She said shakily. "But we all know that won't happen because I'm not alive anymore." She faltered, but Lagoon Boy nodded at her to continue. "I love Lagoon Boy, but I can't give him what he deserves. I'm dead, and he needs someone living."

Lagoon Boy rapidly shook his head in disagreement. "You know that's not true. Greta, we can make it work, dead or alive."

Secret frowned. "I've made up my mind. We have to complete this mission and when it's over I want you to find my body. I don't know where Billy, I can't call him Harm, put my body."

Impulse awkwardly shifted weight from one foot to another. "Secret, this is important. Maybe we can discuss this after the mission?"

She vehemently shook her head. "No. We don't know how the mission will turn out, and I need you all to know how I feel. It's been an honor serving with you, but I shouldn't be here anymore. My brother ended my life when he murdered me, and now I need to move on. The value of this mission if we do it right should sever my tie to this tie, so I'll need you to find my bones and put me to peace, fully. It's a lot, but can you do it?"

Arrowette, who looked unusually humble, was the first to nod. "We'll do it, for you Secret."

She smiled sadly. Secret bowed her head and floated to the back of the crowd, Lagoon Boy following. Lagoon Boy went to grab her hands, but when his own passed through her smoke like form she drifted even farther.

Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl, caught Robin's eye, her full lips pulled into a sorrowful frown. She gripped his hand, and Robin was glad for the solidity of her soft skin. She looked to him, deep blue eyes so deep that he couldn't read them.

"Are you ready to do your leader routine? They need it Rob, they need _you._"

He shrugged. "I know Donna, but I'm not sure. This is so huge... and they don't even know all of it."

The exotic Amazon teen smiled lightly, hand squeezing his. "You can do it, Boy Wonder." With that she released his hand, raising her own into the air. The faint moonlight caught the silver cuffs she wore on her wrist and cast an eerie glow over the clearing. "It's time." She said her voice now abnormally calm.

She stepped back, allowing Robin to take her spot. "Okay, we all know how important this mission is. No matter what happens out there just wanted to say it's been a pleasure working with you and-"

Impulse held up a hand. "Rob, this isn't a death sentence. Get to the point?"

Robin nodded; embarrassed the speedster had stolen some of his leader mojo. "Right well, Empress and Secret are going to teleport to the center of the activity to try and set up the attack plan I've made to achieve the goal. Arrowette and Lagoon Boy are going to survey the perimeter and keep the area clear. Impulse and Lobo are going through the back gates to create an opening for Wonder Girl and me who are going to help Secret and Empress at the heart of the operation."

The tactic took no one by surprise; the Boy Wonder and Wonder Girl were always teamed up. After having mentors like Wonder Woman and Batman they seemed to have more experience than the other team members. There was a second where no one knew what to say, if this was the end.

Finally Empress stood. "Well, I believe it is time." Wordlessly they all divided, scattering into the nights like shadows.

Donna's starry uniform shimmered as if it contained its own galaxies as she turned to Robin. "For a second don't be Robin, don't be team leader, just be you and tell me if you're okay."

Robin swallowed and finally met her gaze. "It's what I was trained to do; I've lived my entire life for this. I am ready; I think I was born ready." He said.

She nodded but didn't look as assured. They started to walk, silent and tense. When they finally approached the building Donna's breath hitched. She stopped and stood stock still for a moment.

"Hey," Robin grabbed her hand. "It's okay."

She shook her head. "My part is crucial, if I mess up…"

Robin clasped her other hand. "You won't mess up." He paused and looked sheepish for a moment. "I know we don't really have time, and this is corny, but," He pulled out a small object from his belt. "Happy first anniversary." He held out his black gloved hand, a small silver chain glittering in it.

Donna smiled, but bit her lip. "That really is cheesy." She teased as she allowed him to slip it over her neck. She fingered the charm, two W's that were linked. "Wonder Woman?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, Wonder Girl and Boy Wonder." He leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away.

"I want to," She said, voice thick. "But we've already spent too much time out here. We have a lot of pressure and doing something, anything romantic right now will only add to it." Though he understood, Robin still looked hurt.

Suddenly, a high pitch whine came screeching out of the communication link in their ears. Donna, who had heightened senses, almost dropped to her knees as she yanked it from her ear. After a second, there was silence before Robin heard the distinct noise of someone breathing.

"Empress to Young Justice, I repeat Empress to Young Justice." A scared voice whispered over the system. "We have been compromised, there is a-" Her voice gave way as an unnatural scream pierced the night.

Donna looked over with steely eyes, her friend panic causing determination that suppressed the fear. "I'm going to check it out. Stay here as backup." She commanded, beginning to hover in the air.

"You're absolutely not." Robin replied. "We've been compromised, and I'm not letting you go in there without help."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're amazing, but I have abilities that pass yours. I can take care of myself." She started towards the building, but Robin sent a grappling hook rocketing to her leg, causing her to jerk back to him. "Robin!" She whisper yelled.

"I'm not letting you go in there without knowing what you're up against."

"My friends are in trouble, which is all that matters."

"That kind of thinking won't help you."

"Well it will help the team." She retorted. When he made no move to let her go, she shoved her lips against hers, causing Robin's body to go slack. When he loosened she quickly snapped the cord with her super strength and flew off.

"I'm so sorry." He heard her say before she vanished into the shadows.

Robin stood, jaw almost on the ground staring at the space that she had left void. In one second e realized he had never been angrier. After training with Batman he had master control of his emotions, but Donna had played with his emotions to the point that she may have been able to compromise the whole mission. Granted, Donna was a big girl and could take care of herself but it didn't make Robin feel any better as he stood with thick lips and tingling hands.

"Donna." He whispered with strained vocal cords, though there was no one to hear.

The Boy Wonder snapped out of it, leaping forwards towards where Donna had went. Robin knew he had let something as weak and insignificant as love compromise a mission, and maybe a team member's life.

But then he heard a whisper in his ear. It made him freeze, turn every fiber of his body to pure voice. It was singing, words that he couldn't understand but didn't need to. It was haunting, beautiful and melodic, and when it told him what to do he knew that he had to obey. As he slumped to the ground, Donna Troy and the Young Justice team was the last thing on his mind.

When he would wake up in Times Square a week later the kiss would be erased from his mind, but the nagging guilt wouldn't.

**XXX**

It had been half a year and there had been no progress. Robin couldn't understand the fact that the one thing that was preventing him from finding his friends was his own mind. The day of the Haven mission and the week after were gone, a blank white space on the board of his mind. Various psychics had tried to crack his mind, but none had lasted more than five minutes.

Batman had been supportive, as supportive as someone so cold and removed could be, but the other members of the Justice League had been harsh. In some cases, like Wonder Woman's, it was because they had lost a sidekick or even family member while Robin had made it out. He felt he deserved it, even though some told him he didn't. Why did he deserve to be here healing when Donna could be dead or worse?

Then there was the guilt. It ate him, drove him up a wall and down another. What had happened, and why did he feel guilty? He didn't know. So he just flipped the TV on and sat back to watch the press conference.

**XXX**

It was raining, almost as if the world itself was mourning a great tragedy. It was a pompous assumption, but it almost brought Clark Kent some peace as he surveyed the black clad crowd of reporters in front of him. He took a deep breath, praying his voice wouldn't shake or crack. He needed to be strong, composed. The superhero community frequently suffered great loss, but the demise of those so young and hopeful in such a great number held a significant sting.

The other heroes with him held their heads high, trying to not show how weak they were inside. Diana, Wonder Woman, was composed as always though Clark's super senses detected the slightest bit of a red tint to the Amazons eye. Superman had no children; no family to call his own in the superhero community and he could only assume and guess what his colleagues were feeling. They had lost partners, sidekicks. Diana hadn't been the same since Donna had vanished with the rest. Donna was her younger sister and even though it wasn't, Diana saw it as her own fault. She had hardened, changed, and Clark feared for her. Batman stiffly nodded at the Man of Steel to begin and he took a deep breath, turning on the television face.

"And I am afraid to inform all that Young Justice Team has been compromised," He paused, hearing the crowd gasp. "Arrowette, Empress, Impulse, Secret, Lobo, Secret, Wonder Girl and Lagoon Boy have all vanished, believed to be dead." Superman announced to the crowd.

There were horrified looks everywhere. "What about Robin?" A young reporter, Lois Lane, called.

Superman pursed his lips. "Robin was recovered with no memories of the event or of his team's disappearance. He will be working with Batman to recover those memories. In the mean time we will do everything we can to find our missing heroes. Thank you!" Superman raised a hand, signally the end of the conference as he sent a pained look to Martian Manhunter.

The green alien nodded. "It is a tragedy to be sure."

The Kryptonian sighed. "Diana is not reacting well to Donna's fate." He said, relying what he saw in the Amazon Princess. "Well, no one is really accepting it well."

Martian Manhunter silently surveyed the line of heroes who were conversing in grief together. "I am sure there will be many different forms of coping over time." J'onn agreed. "Do you remember what we talked about? If in one year they are not found then…" The Martian looked to his fellow alien to finish.

"…. A new team will be created." Clark ended reluctantly.

Manhunter nodded stoically. "Yes, we need to show the public that the Justice League does not train weak young heroes."

Rage boiled inside of Clark. "Weak?" He spat with silent unbridled fury. "Those kids were damn good fighters in my book Manhunter and their sacrifice does not mean that they were _weak_ in any way, shape or form." He spat through clenched teeth.

The other alien remained impassive. "That was not what I was trying to say, Kent. I was simply stating that the world needs to know we do not let adversary's defeat us and that we will take these heroes sacrifice in stride."

Clark looked away. "We can't replace them if we aren't even sure that they died." He protested.

Martian Manhunter held up a hand as a peace sign. "Yes, I know. We will wait one year and if they are not recovered in twelve months from today we will take action. We will choose the best young heroes out there, with abilities similar to that of the original team. We will show those that seek evil that we are still here, and stronger than ever. Young Justice will be reborn."


	2. Chapter 1

_**Miss Martian**_

M'gann M'rozz was not a stranger to feeling out of place. Even on her home planet of Mars she hadn't entirely fit in. Maybe it had been her love of Earth and its shows like _Hello Megan_, but somehow she had always just known that she was meant for more than being one of hundreds of M'rozz children, which is exactly why the fifteen year old had stowed away on her Uncle J'onn's bioplane back to Earth.

Everyone on Mars had heard stories of the Martian Manhunter, a Martian who had achieved huge heroic success on Earth, simply by using his natural abilities. After lots of digging through extended family trees it had been revealed that he was an uncle, if not a somewhat distant one. It had made the risky endeavor somewhat acceptable to the redhead.

As Martian Manhunter began to prepare the ship to land at something called the Watchtower, the stowaway pressed her emerald green nose against the cold glass. The blue and white planet below was so foreign from her own home planet that she felt the most out of place that she ever had in her life. As the massive concrete building grew closer, she gave a small smile. Yes, M'gann was alone on a foreign planet but she was also about to start a new chapter in her short life.

J'onn cleared his throat in the front of the plane. "M'gann, as enjoyable as the quiet has been to this point, you are free to join me up in the front." He announced casually as if he was discussing the weather to an invisible comrade.

The teen tensed, a hot prickly feeling covering her head. Maybe there was another M'gann on the ship, one who was not a stowaway and had just been quiet up until this point.

J'onn chuckled. "I assume you are as chatty as your thoughts are?"

M'gann stood slowly, the bones in her legs creaking after the long ride she had spent sitting. "How did you know?" She asked in defeat

. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to send her right back to Mars where she would probably be grounded for the next hundred sun rotations. J'onn gave her a smile from the corner of his eye.

"You did a good job with being undetectable to both eye and mind, but I focused my whole power when doing a sweep through of the ship. Had it not been for my extra careful eye you would still be in the back, smudging my glass."

This elicited a shrug. "Why'd you let me stay?"

J'onn thought for a moment. "There is something in Earth, a team of young heroes. I believe you have what it takes to join them."

M'gann's heart began to beat rapidly. "Do you mean it?"

J'onn nodded. "Any niece of mine would be."

The alien smiled softly. "You know I am your niece?"

J'onn remained impassive. "You were an abnormally gifted child." The older Martian said. "I kept a special eye on you M'gann M'rozz. You are not meant to be trapped on a war torn planet."

It was true; the Martian civil war between the hostile white Martians and the peaceful green Martians had greatly impacted the way life was.

"Yes. The war is very dangerous." M'gann said, trying to not choke on excitement. J'onn thought for a moment.

"Yes, especially for one like yourself."

The excitement faded as M'gann's blood ran cold. "How do you, I mean, how could you possibly know?"

J'onn looked at her with blank red eyes. "Know what, they you are a-"

She held up a hand. "Please J'onn. Do not say it. I don't want to be judged by it any longer. I want to start fresh on a fresh planet."

J'onn nodded. "I see. I will keep your… situation secret for you duration on Earth as long as it is not a safety concern."

M'gann laid a small hand on my uncle's green one. "Thank you."

He nodded. "It is fine, for now."

There was nothing about M'gann' secret that was little though. On Mars it had always alienated her, made her feel like an alien in her own home. There was nothing she could do about it but as looked at the intertwined green hands and wish that she could show off her true self. Not the physical true self, the Green Martian look was so much better than what her natural appearance was but the emotional self that no one on Mars got to see. Maybe it was better that way for everyone else, but it had killed her daily inside. So she had never said anything. The Martian would be bubbly M'gann M'rozz, who was exceptionally gifted and exceptionally disengaged from society. It didn't matter if she had asked for it or not, it was just the way it was and to be honest it wasn't fair.

"I don't need to read your mind to know something's troubling you." J'onn said softly.

M'gann couldn't help but jump, abruptly startled from her reverie. "It's overwhelming." She admitted. J'onn smiled to himself more than anything. "Yes, I remember how overwhelming the change of cultures is. Suddenly everything, even the way you live daily life, has to change. Things that are acceptable on Mars are so austere here that it is very easy to make a mistake." M'gann's eyes widened and J'onn chuckled.

"M'gann, your skin is paling. I've never seen green get so chalky."

She looked down in shame. "I can't help it sometimes. It just, happens. That's how they found out about it. About my, let's say nationality. And I prayed to our deities that the war would end and I could be in peace but-"Her voice broke and she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

J'onn patted her hand. "Do not worry child. On Earth this new team will help you find who you are. Who you were really wanted to be." He paused. "It is called Young Justice: Reborn. I think it will be refreshing for you."

M'gann walked to the window, long fingers leaving a trail on the glass. She would play the part, be bubbly, happy. The girl everyone would want to be around.

"I sure hope so."


	3. Chapter 2

_**Aqualad**_

As Kaldur Ahm swam through the clear blue waters of Atlantis he could only focus on one thing. Even though he knew how important things like meditation and peacefulness was for a hero, I couldn't help but feel restless and agitated. The overwhelming senses of urgency in Atlantis as well as the pressure of the choice regarding the Young Justice team was making him want to escape to somewhere where he could be in the quiet. Somewhere he could think. Even though he also knew that the Young Justice ordeal had had profound effects on many people, including Robin.

The thirteen year old sidekick of the World's Greatest Detective had been a part of the team, and the only member that could be accounted for. Robin had been found in the middle of Times Square with no recollection of the last twenty fours or anything to do with the 'Haven' mission. In that he knew nothing of how he had ended up in New York or where his team had gone. Kaldur had considered himself a friend of the Boy Wonder, but in the twelve months after the incident they had yet to speak. The few times they had run into each other at League events no one had been able to say anything, just pass pained looks in silence.

It was tragic to see such pain on the face of one so young, the flag of defeat waving before morning. But Robin was a trooper and even if he was down now he would find a way to bounce back.

Atlantis was looming in front of the two weary men on the horizon, a reminder of all the responsibilities he had to face. Kaldur's mentor, Arthur swam quietly beside him. Aquaman's blonde hair rippled in the subtle water currents and his eyes were downcast.

"Are you considering the offer?" Kaldur asked.

The King of Atlantis gave a short nod. "Indeed I am Kaldur."

The younger hero thought for a moment on his words. "There are deep wounds regarding the subject." He finally said. "But I think a team will need a rock. I hope I can be what they need."

Arthur smiled. "You are wise beyond your years Kaldur Ah'm. I believe you can be anything you want within the team. I suppose this mean you have accepted the challenge?"

Kaldur kept his eyes trained ahead. "Yes your majesty, I have. I plan on sending my acceptance as soon as I am home." The ocean's cold drafts chilled him to the bone. "It is an intimidating thing to say the least. And I must tell Tula…" His voice trailed off as he thought of the girl who held his affections.

"Yes." Arthur said, sympathizing with him as a man. "It is difficult to explain reasoning to those we love."

Kaldur just nodded. "Yes, difficult indeed."

The gates of Atlantis shined in front of the two of them and they swam through uneasily. The bustling Atlantians stopped to quickly pay homage with a head nod before continuing on their way. They stopped in the middle of the road, bubbles popping around them.

"It is here we must part ways my friend." Arthur patted Kaldurs' back. "Good luck." He murmered softly, voice drifting away on the tide.

Kaldur nodded and gave a terse smile. "Thank you, sire."

Arthur smiled and swam towards the castle leaving Kaldur to look wearily towards the conservatory where Tula would be training. Kaldur had once too been a student before joining Aquaman as a hero, as his sidekick Aqualad. As he swam with a heavy heart I considered all he would be giving up. Gone would be the days in the warm water with Tula and his best friend, Garth. He knew he would miss the salty feel of water against his skin every waking moment and the pleasant fluttering of liquid streaming out of his gills. As Kaldur entered the conservatory he could hear Tula's laugh flittering along the currents.

The short haired bright eyed student didn't seem to notice his arrival as she playfully shot a ball of energy to a figure out of his line of sight. Kaldur just stood for a moment and watched the way Tula's green eyes sparkled and her nose crinkled when she concentrated. He was in awe of the lucid way the girl moved through the water. Kaldur ran a dark brown hand through his short cropped blonde hair, unsure of what to do. Seeing Tula made all resolve vanish. He would stay with Tula and maybe one day marry her. Before he could announce his presence Tula's mysterious playmate swam over to her, rapidly embracing her in a kiss.

Kaldurs' breath caught, recognizing the black ponytail speckled with green beads instantly. "Garth… Tula?" He choked out as the kissing couple froze, slowly parting and turning.

"Kaldur, what are you doing here?" Tula's voice was thick.

Kaldur straightened himself, keeping his dignity. "I came to tell you that I was not joining Young Justice so I could stay with you, Tula, but I now have decided to amend my decision."

Tula looked stricken.

Garth reached out. "Kaldur, brother, we were going to tell you."

Kaldur remained stoic. "Well it seems you now do not have to." He turned to leave but felt Tula's hand warm on my shoulder. He cast my grey blue eyes on her small fingers and struggled to keep rage down as he shrugged her hand off.

"Goodbye Tula." Kaldur said evenly, almost enjoying the sound of her cries.

They could not drown out the crying in his own heart however.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Zatanna**_

Zatanna Zatara, fourteen year old magician tapped her foot in anxiety. Her father was still next to her, his chiseled face shadowed by his black top hat. He pursed his lip and Zatanna couldn't help but notice how the tiny muscles in his jaw feathered with each agitated grimace. He had stopped her lesson early to have an important talk with her but hadn't yet said a word.

"Dad?" She asked quietly.

Her father remained impassive. Giovanni Zatara was an imposing figure in his tux jacket and tight vest, and Zatanna couldn't help but feel small next to him. She sat for a second and watched the way his handle bar mustache flapped in the breeze of each angry breath. After a moment she muttered a spell under her breath.

"yawa lyf taH." She whispered and instantly her father's hat flew off his head and across the room. The balding hero finally looked at his daughter, eyes shrouded with sadness.

"Zatanna Zatara." He said quietly with a slight reprimanding tone. Zatanna frowned, a strange feeling creeping over her.

"What's going on?" She gently pressed. Zatara rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand and sighed.

"Do you remember last year what happened to the Young Justice International team?" He asked. While Zatanna hadn't personally known any of the team members who perished, she had seen the pain in the eyes of everyone who had spoken of the fallen heroes.

"It was a great tragedy." Zatanna said in a removed tone. Her father had been angry about the fact that there had even been a team in the first place; believing that it was too dangerous to have teens in dangerous and the great sorrow that had followed the teams failure had only proven his point. The subject was something the amateur magician tried to avoid.

Zatara nodded. "It was, yet it has not stopped the fools in the league from trying to re-create the team."

Zatanna's eyes bulged. "But it hasn't even been a year!"

Zatara looked at her. "Yes, I know."

Zatanna thought for a minute. "What does this have to do with us personally though?"

Zatara clasped his daughter's hand. "I made a choice I felt was best for you, for us." He said, skirting the question.

"What choice was that?"

Zatara looked into his daughters large chocolate colored eyes that were identical to his own. "I rejected the opportunity for you to be a part of the team."

Zatanna jumped to her feet. "I was invited?" She asked, half thrilled and half terrified.

Zatara calmly nodded. "Yes, they wanted you and your magic. It is too risky though. I have decided that you would do no such thing."

The teenage girl raised an eyebrow. "You decided what I was going to do?" She asked.

Her father frowned. "Yes, I am your legal guardian."

Zatanna indignantly placed her hands on her hips. "So? I mean, I should be able to choice to do something that would seriously help my career out!"

Zatara joined his daughter in a standing position. "I do not like it Zatanna. Those other young heroes, the ones are missing and most likely dead, had potential just like you. That did not save them. And it will not save you."

Zatanna threw her hands up. "YOU are impossible. If you never allow me out to do things how will I grow?"

Before Zatara could respond Zatanna stomped up the stairs of the gothic manor and slammed her door with a resounding boom. The magician plopped onto her canopied bed, angrily conjuring random gusts of wind that ransacked her spacious room. Maybe her father had a point, but the sheer thrill of being on the ideal new team sang louder than her dad's fears. This team would be better, more improved. They wouldn't repeat past mistakes.

"I'm a magician for goodness sake, I have magic! I think I can protect myself." Zatanna muttered to herself. The wheels in her head started to spin. "I have _magic._" With a smile she jumped off her bed and grabbed a suitcase from her shelf, stuffing it with all the things she would need at Happy Harbor.

"won em etacilpuD!" She said with vigor.

Almost instantly the air next to her began to shimmer and an identical duplicate appeared. The magic almost instantly drained energy from her and Zatanna grabbed onto her black wardrobe for support.

"Stay here." She instructed the duplicate. "For a few days pout in your room and after that you know what to do." The magical clone nodded and went to lie on the bed.

When her dad realized what was going on she would hopefully already be to Happy Harbor. Once he saw her with a team of people like herself her father wouldn't be able to take her away. So it was with a smirk that Zatanna Zatara muttered a spell and felt herself slowly slip away, one magical step closer to her dreams.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Kid Flash**_

Wally West, the world's fastest kid was rarely still. He almost always found a way to be moving, whether it was a tapping foot or a fiddling of fingers. So in the instance that he was still it was obvious to anyone who knew the easily excitable fifteen year old that something was off. Today he sat stock still, his green eyes worried as he sat slumped on the West family couch.

His Uncle Barry, also known as the legendary Flash eyed him worriedly from the kitchen. "Do you think he's alright?" He whispered to his wife, Iris West-Allen.

The pretty news reporter thought for a moment as she observed her nephew. "I don't know dear. He seems, troubled."

Barry nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen him be so… still. It's kind of scaring me."

Iris rolled her eyes. "Darling, let's not be melodramatic. I mean, he is faced with a rather large decision." She said.

"I'm not being melodramatic!" Barry protested. "He's the Flash's nephew, can move faster than any object on Earth and vibrate through solid objects. He should not be sitting still."

Iris laughed and laid a hand on her husband's muscled arm. "Calm down. Why don't you talk to him? Maybe a listening ear is all he needs to be feeling like his old annoying, energetic, obnoxious joking self."

Barry smiled at his wife. "What would I do without you?"

She shrugged and Barry went and sat by Wally. Wally ignored him.

"What's wrong Champ?"

Wally blinked slowly as if he was waking up. "Oh, uh, nothing Uncle Barry... Everything's totally cool." The younger speedster said flatly.

Barry arched an eyebrow. "Really? You haven't moved in a good hour Wally and to be frank your aunt and I are worried about you."

Wally ran a hand through his bright orange hair. "You shouldn't worry; I just don't know what to do over Young Justice and Robin."

Barry nodded. Wally had taken a hard hit when his best friend Robin had pushed him away after the end of the first Young Justice team.

"I'm afraid that if I join the new team Rob will hate me even more." He vented.

Barry was silent for a second. "Well that's a chance you're gonna have to take. You'll be helping a lot of people and if Robin doesn't understand, then I guess it'll be him who lost a good friend."

Wally smiled. "Thanks Uncle Barry."

Barry lightly punched Wally's arm. "It's nothing. So, how would you feel about Flash taking his favorite sidekick on a run to some exciting location?"

Wally cracked a small smile and stretched his back lazily. "As fun as that sounds, the Kid Flash is going to retire to his room. All this thinking has wiped me out."

His uncle gave a quick shrug. "Suit yourself." He stood. "How about the Flash takes his favorite wife to dinner?"

Iris laughed and winked at Wally. "She would like that."

Barry nodded and he and Iris left the room. Wally stood up slowly, an idea playing out in front of him. Maybe he should pay a visit to his old friend, try to make him understand. Wally blurred into his room, pulling his yellow and red Kid Flash costume out and slipping it on. The tight feel of spandex on lean muscles felt familiar and almost immediately rejuvenated Wally. He slipped his red goggles on and jumped out the window.

As he ran Central City began to fade away, Gotham's dark and gritty residence replacing it. He wanted to talk to Robin without Batman being around, so he waited in an alley he knew that Robin frequented on his routine. Sure enough the Boy Wonder made an appearance soon enough.

"Wally." His voice was flat.

The Kid Flash nodded. "Hey Rob. I need to talk you."

Robin turned away. "You were invited to Young Justice the sequel?" Robin asked his detective skills up to par.

Wally nodded. "Yes, and I want to accept but..."

Robin sighed. "Me. I don't need you to worry about me Kid Flash. I can take care of myself."

Wally nodded. "Yeah, I know Rob but I also know how hard this has been on you. I mean, Donna and-"

Robin held up a hand. "That's enough Wally. Join the team and stop feeling sorry for me."

Without another word Robin disappeared into the shadows, leaving a very disturbed Wally behind.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Artemis**_

Artemis Crock was not in a good mood.

Granted, she had never been a lucky ducky, glass is half full kind of girl, but the mood she was in was exceptionally sour. As she brushed the sweat from her blonde brow she squinted. The bright light shone on her golden hair like a beacon, accentuating the tan in her smooth skin. The target she had been shooting at for the last two hours almost seemed to taunt her at the other end of the field. With a growl she pulled her bowstring back with aching arms, letting the arrow fly through the air where it hit the edge of the target with a sturdy thump.

_Not good enough._

That's what her father would say. Not good enough. She was never good enough. She had been training at archery since she was five years old, and in the ten years following had never managed to impress Lawrence Crock. The tall and icy blonde man didn't visit his daughter often, but when he did he always pushed the fifteen year old to work harder.

As she drew another arrow Artemis frowned. Her father had called to say he would be home within the hour, and if Artemis didn't have the latest target perfected then he would most likely belittle her. She could almost imagine it, Artemis standing in the dingy apartment she shared with her paralyzed mother while her father insulted her until all she could do was bow her head in shame. He would treat her the same way he had treated her sister, at least until she had finally left.

Artemis's heart twanged as she thought of her sister and with a sigh decided to start packing up. She collected her arrows from the offending target and started the hike back home. The Gotham Community Park had a nice and extensive field that was hidden behind thick foliage and Artemis had gone there to practice since she had been allowed to leave the house by herself. As she stomped through Gotham alleyways she focused on the sturdy thud of her own feet. Everything was silent until she smelt the faint yet distinguished smell of Jade. It crept up into her nose, eliciting a burning sensation.

Artemis froze. "I know your there Jade." She announced to the darkness.

The shadows shifted and a slender teen body slid from the darkness.

Jade.

"Must you wear that?" Artemis winced.

Jade lovingly stroked the smiling wooden cat mask with a poison fingernail. "What? Don't you like it _Arty_?" She taunted. Her almond shaped blue grey eyes, identical to Artemis's, glittered dangerously through the masks eye slits.

"No Jade, I don't like it." The teen archer snapped.

Jade's shoulders tightened. "I told you, my name is Cheshire." She growled.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "It looks completely ridiculous."

In a heartbeat Jade sidestepped and had a poisoned nail hovering an inch from Artemis's chin. "The only ridiculous thing is you Artemis Crock." She hissed. "You think you're so high and mighty but I know you're just like me deep down. And when that part of you comes to the light, we'll see whose laughing. Your father will make sure of it."

Artemis stuck her chin up. "My father Jade? Last time I checked he was your sperm donor too." She growled with a rumble deep in her throat.

"You'll see Artemis." She warned before vanishing once more.

Artemis sagged against the brick wall. "Miss you too sis." She muttered.

As much as the meetings with her sister made her want to curl up in a ball and cry, Artemis knew her mother would need her. She ran through Gotham, ignoring the pounding of her archery equipment against her back. When she pushed open the door to the cramped apartment the smell of Vietnamese cultural food but what was foreign was the musky smell that usually hovered around her dad. She could hear voices in the kitchen.

"Lawrence! I do not tell you what to do when you're Sportsmaster! Leave my baby alone. Please, I beg of you. Jade's already been run off, doing who knows what now but don't ruin Artemis too. You are already so harsh on her." Her mother's tired voice yelled.

Artemis froze.

"She is my daughter as well. What I choose to do with her is not your concern."

She heard the angry squeak of my mother's wheelchair. Artemis's mother had been a very active woman before a weapons accident had paralyzed her. "No Lawrence. No."

She heard her father growl and a sharp slap. Artemis was aroused from her daze when she heard her mother cry out. She ran into the kitchen. Her father, all muscles and bulk glared down at her.

"Artemis." He snapped irritably.

She ignored him and went to cradle her mother's red face. "What are you doing?" She cried.

Her dad frowned. "Your mother and I were dealing with business Artemis. Now, I have a new challenge for you."

Artemis was silent. She couldn't tell her father that she hadn't even achieved the last challenge.

"You remember the Young Justice debacle, don't you?" Her father asked.

Artemis snorted. "How could I not? It's still all over the news."

Her father nodded. "Good, you are to be on the new team."

Artemis's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Excuse me?" She gasped. "Last time I checked we weren't exactly Justice Leaguers. My sister is a supervillian!"

Lawrence ignored her and turned to pull something out of a bag on the table. "This is your costume." He tossed a silky green outfit at Artemis. "You will say nothing of your upbringing or background. You are Green Arrow's niece, nothing else. Understand?"

Artemis's head reeled. "No. Why should I do this?"

Her father glared. "I wanted Jade, but your sister's rebellious spirit interfered with those plans. This is the next best thing. It's time to take up the family legacy, you, your sister, your mother and I, we're our own breed. You will have to do."

Artemis smiled. "So I'm just plan B?"

Lawrence nodded. "Yes."

Artemis tossed the costume on the counter. "As much as I enjoy playing second favorite, I've decided to not do it."

In a blink of an eye Lawrence had Artemis up against the wall. "You will do what I say." He spat through gritted teeth.

Artemis just nodded and stumbled away, shaking.

"Any more sass?" Lawrence spat.

And Artemis shook her head and did what she always did. She obeyed her father.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Robin**_

Little things in life can have the profoundest effect on people, and as Robin the Boy Wonder watched the stars twinkle above the smog of Gotham he could almost feel the profound effect of the moment. _That is, if you can feel such things_. He reasoned to himself.

It was the little things that reminded him of her, the way the stars shone tonight imitated the swirling complexity her uniform once had. He had loved her, or felt as much emotion towards her as he had been able to. The teen often wondered if it was possible to feel love at their young age, but when he thought of Donna Troy he believed anything could happen. His parents had died in a circus accident years before and while he felt affection for Bruce and Alfred; he had only ever got that tingly butterfly feeling for Donna. When life working with a team had taken its toll on Robin, she had been there with a small smile or reassuring hand.

But now she was gone.

Robin couldn't remember what had happened to the young Wonder Girl, but ever since he woke up he had felt guilty. Before Bruce had even told him what had happened, or at least what they speculated he had felt guilty. Like he had let Donna down, let her die or disappears. The psychics he had met with had tried to tell him it wasn't his fault but because it was unknown what had happened it very well could have been his fault.

Batman had taken him off of duty for the last year, but Robin still went out to patrol. Bruce didn't try to stop him either. How much loss could a teenager take? When your own body was revolting at the thought of being a teen, life should have been easy. Now Robin was without his parents, brother and Donna.

Every thought came back to Donna.

"Thinking about her?" A smooth British voice asked softly from behind him.

"Yeah," Robin said hoarsely. "Is it dumb that I don't want to believe their gone? That my only friends who actually understood me are just as lost as my parents or Chris?" He asked.

The wise British voice faltered for a moment. "Not in the slightest, Master Dick."

Robin turned to look at Alfred Pennyworth, English butler to the Wayne Family and helper to Batman.

"Thanks Al." Robin gave a fake smile. "It was nice of you to not ruin my delusion."

The old English man raised an eyebrow. "Delusion? I like to believe there is always hope."

Robin nodded. "What are you doing here?" He asked, changing the subject so the older man wouldn't question Robin's lack of hope.

"I followed you when I noticed you took your motorcycle out." Alfred said. "I am worried about you, especially after your encounter with the Kid Flash earlier."

Robin blinked in surprise behind his mask. "How did you know?" He asked.

Alfred smiled. "I am the butler to the Batman. I know everything."

Robin chuckled. "For some reason I do not doubt this."

Alfred paused. "I also came as I have news that I thought you might like to digest away from Master Bruce." Robin nodded for Alfred to go on. "The new Young Justice team members have powers resembling those of the ones before them, but there was no one quite like you." He chuckled despite the seriousness of the news. "They have asked you to return to your position. If your reject the proposal they will more than understand but the offer is standing."

Robin stood. "I'll do it." He said, surprising both himself and Alfred. "If there is any chance they are out there, I need to find them. I can't do that from the Bat cave."

Alfred nodded. "Very well then, I will send in your acceptance and you can leave to Happy Harbor whenever you want."

Robin hopped onto his bike. "Thanks Al." The man nodded and Robin roared off. As he rode he looked at the stars so vast above them.

"Hear that Donna?" He asked the roaring wind. "I'm going to get you all back."


	8. Chapter 7

_**Wonder Girl**_

Cassandra Sandsmark was speechless.

She always had something to say, yet looking at the official letter in her hand she found her voice was gone. Donna Troy, the first Wonder Girl had been the person Cassie had always wanted to be. She wanted to be as good as a hero, as good as a fighter. But mainly she wanted to be as well-loved as Donna had been. The older Amazon had always had a kind word to say to Cassie or a helpful hint after a sparring session. The entire island had been devastated when she left to join Young Justice and crushed when she never came back.

Cassie had spent her entire life idolizing Wonder Girl and even attempting to be her when she had first got her powers. With Donna gone Cassie was under intense pressure. She had to be Wonder Girl, slip into Donna's shoes just as easily as her successor had slipped them off. The letter held in her shaking hand was the epitome of her pressure.

Join Young Justice. Become like Donna.

And that was all Cassie wanted. But it wasn't what anyone near to her wanted or even approved of. Her mother would be tentative, too afraid to lose her baby girl. She would take Cassie's powers away before the Wonder Girl could say Hippolyta. Diana would not react strongly. She would not be able to bear the loss of another side kick; she had barely got through Donna's.

"I want to go." Cassie said to herself.

She knew it was selfish, but part of her wanted to take off to Happy Harbor and not look back. She couldn't though. If she did she would lose her entire future as a member of the Wonder family. Was that part of being a hero? To sacrifice your wants for the want of others? Cassie dropped her Young Justice Reborn acceptance letter onto her blue bedding and laid back in shock. She had almost hoped to not be invited so the choice would be easier. But she had and now had to deal with the consequences.

Her tight Wonder Woman embellished tank top suddenly became too clingy, the black fabric tight against her pale neck. She didn't even look like a part of the Wonder family. While Diana and Donna shared raven hair and short costumes, Cassie was a blonde with a pair of jeans and some blue sneakers.

"Being on Young Justice will set you apart." That devious little voice in her head whispered. "You wouldn't need to wear a black wig so you could be Donna. You could be _Cassie." _Cassie smiled slightly. It was what she wanted. She would need to see Diana.

The Wonder Woman herself was in a decent mood, Cassie could tell as soon as she entered the room.

The Amazon Princess glanced up. "Greetings, Cassie." She said as she filled out whatever paperwork she was doing.

"I'm joining Young Justice." Cassie announced before her confidence would leave her.

Diana sighed and put down her ballpoint pen. "Yes, I assumed you would. It is just the kind of thing that you would do."

Cassie faltered. "Are you angry Diana?"

The older Amazon gave a brief smile. "No Cassie. I am very proud of you. I am frightful the past will repeat itself but ever optimistic that you will finally be able to shine."

Cassie released all the air in her with a whoosh and nearly collapsed from happiness. "What about my mother?"

Diana winked. "Helena and I had a nice talk. She is going to let you go. Every hero must make sacrifices."

Cassie broke the wall between them and hugged Diana. For a second the heroine was stiff, but then she loosened to the point where she could return the hug.

Diana pulled away. "I do have news to inform you Cassie. Batman called the embassy today. Robin, the Boy Wonder has signed to Young Justice."

Cassie's cheeks instantly heated. She had always had emotions for Robin, but he was Donna's, so Cassie had never said anything. "R-R-Robin? Wasn't he on the original team? It might be too hard on him." Cassie stammered.

Diana shrugged. "It was what he wanted and Batman knows Robin will heal in his own way."

Cassie's hopes rose a little. Maybe she would be able to help him grow back into the way he had been.

Diana nodded. "I expressed similar sentiments to Bruce. He however said it was what the boy wanted, and he couldn't say no after all that had happened. But enough of the Bat Family, I have a gift for you."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Diana smiled and went behind her desk. She pulled out a lasso identical to her own. For a moment she just held it in silence.

"It was to be Donna's at the completion of the mission." She said hoarsely. "But Donna is not here and you are so…."

Cassie took the lasso in awe. "Diana." She whispered. The princess just nodded and brushed at her eyes. She was too proud to let even Cassie see her tears.

"You should go." She requested softly.

Cassie nodded and started to the door. "Thank you Diana." She said gently. Diana nodded and Cassie let the doors click.

"This is it." Cassie said to herself. "I can be myself, and for once I don't have to hold back."


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks to DianaRose566 for the great review. Sorry for the awkwardness of this next one…

_**Superboy**_

Life was a rush of emotion for him. He hadn't been alive very long, 16 months to be exact, and yet he had never once felt stillness. After being rescued from the Cadmus Project, the young man had been stuck in the Watchtower of the Justice League. They never really told him what was going on, speaking only behind closed doors. He could hear them though. The genomorphs, the little creatures that had taught him had told him he was going to be just like Superman.

Superman.

The boy had seen the tall and muscular man in blue around but never spoke to him. They called him Project Kr, like he was an object, expendable and lifeless. But he felt. He always felt. When he lied awake in bed tonight he felt something they tried to describe to him as anger. Anger that they had not even given him a name. Today he was camped out on a chair, staring out the Watchtower's window.

"Hey kid." A voice said behind him.

The dark hair, blue eyed teen turned. His plain black t-shirt and combat boots fit in perfectly with the Watchtower's grey interior. A pretty blonde woman in a leather jacket and pirate boots leaned against the wall. He struggled to remember her name.

"Aren't you Black Bird?" He guessed.

She smiled. "Black Canary, but you were close enough." She pushed off the wall and sauntered to him. "What do you want me to call you?"

He shrugged. "I have no name. Project Kr?"

She winked. "Nah, that's too plain for a kid as cute as you. I'll fix this. How about…. Superboy?"

He nodded slowly. "I am meant to one day replace Superman."

She blinked. "Kid, you aren't at Cadmus anymore. Talk like that… it won't go over well. You're not going to replace anyone alright?"

The newly named Superboy looked at her blankly. "Okay."

She smiled. "I'll get you a shirt with a logo. Maybe a blue S, or no, a red S! What do you say?"

The boy was impassive. Before he could respond the entire Watchtower began to buzz.

"Martian Manhunter #456 is on floor one." The pleasant female computer announced. Superboy tried to count the holes in Black Canary's fishnet stockings.

"Let's go meet everyone's favorite Martian." She said in her seductive voice.

The listless teen just followed her. When they arrived on the loading dock they found the green skinned man walking out of his ship.

"Hello Canary, Project Kr." He nodded.

Superboy stepped forward defiantly. "It's Superboy."

The Martian smiled. "Ah yes. Superboy. It is nice to meet you officially." He offered a cold hand to which Superboy reluctantly took.

"J'onn?"

Superboy heard a pleasant female voice ask from inside the ship. Canary arched an eyebrow.

"Pick up a pretty Martian?" She asked in an over exaggerated whisper.

The Martian gave her a condescending glance. "No, actually M'gann is my niece."

Canary looked aghast. "Wow, um, I didn't know you had a niece."

A pretty red head peeked out of the ship. In Superboy's opinion she looked great, even if her skin was green. Her eyes were large and amber and he could tell she was quick to smile.

"It is alright M'gann, you can come out." He said gently.

A new emotion bubbled inside of him. Was it what the genomorphs called... Attraction? She said something shyly in a language Superboy did not understand. After a second she hit her head and gave a light laugh.

"Hello Megan!" She exclaimed. "Of course they speak English not Martian. Sorry about that." She giggled.

Superboy gave a tight lipped smile.

"I'm M'gann." She offered up.

Canary stepped forward. "I'm Black Canary, it's very nice to meet you…M'gann."

M'gann smiled. "And you are?"

Superboy blinked, trying to figure out what she was saying while staring into those intensely pretty eyes. "Me? Oh, uh, I'm Superboy."

She smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you Superboy."

They stood in awkward silence until J'onn finally offered up some news. "M'gann is going to join Young Justice United." He said.

Canary smiled. "Really now? You know, I was hoping our friend Superboy here would join as well."

Superboy looked up in surprise. "I didn't tell you about that."

Canary smiled slyly. "Kid, you didn't have to. Every time it comes up you perk up like a kid on Christmas."

He blushed and looked down. M'gann laughed. "That would be so great. I would love to join Young Justice with someone I already know!"

Superboy nodded. "Cool."

He would really need to learn better social skills he realized.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks so much to Wonderboy-Earth-69 for the review and especially Rutger 500. Y'all make my day. So after battling with this chapter for who knows how long it is finally finished so enjoy, and as always REVIEW (:**

_**Miss Martian**_

M'gann nervously bit her bottom lip.

"Welcome to Happy Harbor." She muttered to herself.

Why it was called Happy Harbor was still a mystery to the teenaged Martian though. On the tour she had seen a pretty, and private, beach but that was the extent of the things that could be considered 'happy' here. The actual place where they would complete most of their training and such was built from grey stone and had high ceilings and unfriendly looking grey interior decorations. The whole building gave M'gann an off vibe, as if it had once been a happy place but was now abandoned with only ghosts of the past to haunt its rooms. J'onn was rambling in an uncharacteristic way about the structure of Happy Harbor and M'gann easily tuned him out.

The cute, albeit awkward, boy she had met in the Watchtower was set to arrive soon and she figured that he might makes things a little bit better. The alien felt herself blush. It didn't matter what planet she had come from, teenage hormones were still very powerful. She ran a hand tiredly through her straight hair. _You can't be in a relationship_. She told herself. _Not now and not ever, it's just not safe._

J'onn paused and looked at M'gann. "Are you alright?"

She put on a smile. "Of course I am. It's just overwhelming." She gave a loose laugh.

J'onn just nodded and continued on. M'gann trailed behind him.

"Recognized Aquaman #305. Aqualad #304." A pleasant female voice chimed.

M'gann looked around in shock. "W-Who was that?"

J'onn chuckled. "That was our computer system actually. Someone must have just arrived." M'gann perked up for a second.

"Would you like to go meet them?" J'onn asked.

M'gann nodded and they made their way back through the tunnels. A dark skinned boy with blonde hair and bare feet was just appearing next to a tall blonde man.

"Manhunter!" The man boomed in a deep and old fashioned voice.

Uncle J'onn nodded. "Greetings, King Arthur." M'gann willed herself to not run over to get a closer look at the king.

"This is my niece, M'gann." J'onn introduced.

M'gann smiled. "Please to meet you your majesty."

The king just laughed. "Call me Aquaman." He rumbled graciously. "This is Aqualad, my fellow aquatic hero."

Aqualad blinked in confusion, returning from whatever day dream he had been in. "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you." He grumbled.

Arthur gave a hearty smile and patted the young man on the back. "Kaldur Ah'm here is a bit upset, but I'm sure some quality time with a pretty girl like yourself will give him a much needed attitude adjustment." Arthur winked.

M'gann blushed and Kaldur cleared his throat. "Ignore him." He said. "My mentor here does not believe me when I say that time will heal my wounds."

M'gann's heart went out to him. "Wounds," She said. "What's wrong?"

Kaldur smiled at her sympathy. "Turns out it ain't better down where it's wetter."

Aquaman laid a hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "Perhaps I should give you a tour now?"

J'onn stepped forward. "Yes, I must show M'gann to her rooms." He smiled at his fellow hero. "Kaldur, Arthur," He nodded. "It's been a pleasure as always."

J'onn looked to M'gann. "Come now. I should show you to your rooms." She followed her uncle down a corridor to a tall steel door.

"This is it." He made a sweeping motion with his hand.

M'gann surveyed the dismal room in dismay. "It's very… gray." She said.

J'onn nodded. "You may do to it as you wish. For now though it is plain."

She allowed her hand to trail listlessly over the gray paint and gently shivered. "Who used to live here?" She asked quietly.

J'onn stood with his back to her. "I believe it was Secret."

M'gann crossed her arms. "It's a secret? I deserve to know who lived in my room first."

J'onn turned. "No. Her name was Greta Hayes, but to the team her name was Secret."

M'gann blushed. "_Hello Megan_. It's like Kaldur being called Aqualad, right?"

J'onn nodded. "Yes, just like I am Martian Manhunter."

M'gann smiled. "So what's my name?"

J'onn smoothed the bed sheets. "That will come in time, and it will be your choice."

M'gann thought for a moment. "Soon, like when I meet the public or soon when I meet the rest of the team?" She wondered.

J'onn looked over at her. "That is for you to decide. But for now I have matters to attend to. Why don't you familiarize yourself with the layout of the cave?"

M'gann nodded absentmindedly and J'onn left. When M'gann heard his footprints dissipate she crept into the hallway and took off in the other direction. She wandered aimlessly down the corridors until she reached a large steel door. She fidgeted with the handle, it was locked. M'gann looked around guiltily before silently phasing through. A warm wind rustled her hair and the smell of salt hit her nose. She looked around at the stretch of deserted white sand and clear blue water. A scene from _Hello Megan_ popped into her head from when the title character, Megan, had gone to a place just like this one.

"M'gann, you're at a beach!" She exclaimed as she fell onto the hot ground and ran her fingers through the shifting sand. The cool water lapsed at her toes.

"Enjoying the Harbor?" A voice asked behind her. M'gann jumped. Kaldur laughed and came to sit by her.

"Is there large bodies of water on Mars?" He asked.

M'gann shook her head ruefully. "Sadly no; it's very cold where I'm from, and water doesn't stay thawed for very long." She laughed.

Kaldur nodded. "That's a shame. Water, in an essence, is why I am alive." M'gann looked at him intrigued.

"I am part mer." He explained. "The water is my main source of life, like fire is yours?"

M'gann rapidly shook her head. "No. Fire is actually deadly to Martians. It is fatal if we are exposed to it in a large amount." She said.

"Then I guess we have the same weakness." Kaldur replied. The two lapsed into a comfortable silent.

"You seem to bear a great burden Kaldur Ah'm." M'gann said softly.

Kaldur thought for a moment. "You could say that. Life has been… trying as of late."

She looked at him in sympathy. "I am very sorry."

He gave her a small smile. "It is fine." He looked up at the bright sun. "M'gann, would you like to see a trick?" He asked.

She smiled and nodded. Kaldur held up his hand and pieces of water danced around his splayed fingers.

"I have mastery control over water." He said. M'gann laughed as the water splashed her in the face.

"Can you swim?" Kaldur laughed abruptly.

M'gann looked embarrassed. "No, I never learned."

Kaldur jumped to his feet and help up a rough hand. "Can I teach you?"

M'gann self-consciously looked down at her white shirt and blue skirt. She held up her blue cape. "Swim in my clothes?"

Kaldur laughed. "Well, why not?"

M'gann shrugged. "Okay." She said hesitantly. She took his hand and stood up, brushing sand from her clothes. "Just let me take off my shoes." M'gann pried her boots from her feet and stepped forward hesitantly.

"Here we go." And with that she stepped into the water.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Short, yes but an update none the less. Thanks to Rutger 500 for the review!**

_**Aqualad**_

Kaldur looked down at M'gann's shorter form. Her red hair glittered in the sunlight like fire. Even though they were only in water up to their waists M'gann was getting squeamish. She squealed every time a wave came towards them.

"I don't know if I can do this." She said earnestly.

He laughed. "Don't worry, I am going to ease you onto your back and help you float."

She nodded anxiously and allowed Kaldur to wrap his muscled arms around her waist and behind her knees. M'gann was still as Kaldur lifted her feet and held her body in a horizontal floating position.

"This isn't too bad." She said as she squinted into the sun.

Kaldur smiled. "No, it is not. It actually is the most wonderful thing that exists." He steadied her bobbing form, noting how her bright hair had an almost blue tint from the water.

"I want you to kick your feet." He instructed.

As M'gann awkwardly kicked Kaldur looked out at the blue horizon. Somewhere he could imagine Tula, wrapped around Garth like she had once been around him. Maybe life wasn't fair, but Kaldur wished at least one thing in life would go his way. Being a hero meant making sacrifices, but no one made sacrifices for his own good. M'gann was doing a semi competent job so Kaldur released her to float in circles.

He sank to his knees, his head disappearing under the surf. For a second he just sat, content with the ocean tickling his cheeks and flowing through his gills. A fish darted by nervously and Kaldur released a stream of bubbles. Everything was quiet, free of Arthur's boisterous jokes and awkward advice. Was it wrong that deep inside of him there was a seed of selfishness?

Kaldur blinked the salty drops from his own eyes invisible in the water. Perhaps his tears would float down to Atlantis and kiss Tula's cheeks, like his lips would never be able to. He sat for a moment, marveling in the still.

Still.

It was too still, the paddling from M'gann gone and the water too still. Kaldur pushed himself off the bottom and paddled to the top. M'gann was lying on the beach, her face pointed up to the sun.

"You're looking dry." Kaldur remarked as there was not a drop of water on her outfit.

M'gann raised an eyebrow but kept her eyes closed. "Yes, I am. I don't care much for swimming." She said lightly.

Kaldur chuckled. "I suppose it is not for everyone." He agreed.

M'gann opened her eyes and looked at Kaldur nervously. "Kaldur, um, I am so sorry about Tula and Garth." She said.

Kaldur's eyes flashed. "How do you know?" He growled. M'gann looked surprised at his demeanor change.

"How do I? You were thinking about it weren't you?"

Kaldur felt like if he wasn't careful he would snap and hurt the clueless Martian. "M'gann. On Earth it is not acceptable to read minds. You had no right to do that!" He roared.

M'gann jumped up. "I'm so sorry!" She began to cry.

Kaldur looked at his clenched hands. "You cannot do this here."

She shook. "I-I said I am sorry." She whispered.

Kaldur looked at her stonily. "I know."

M'gann yelped and ran back inside. Kaldur sank into the sand. He had not meditated since he had uncovered Garth and Tula, and it was definitely affecting his attitude. Kaldur had always prided himself on being the mature, calm kind of person and the way he had treated M'gann made his cheeks blush red.

"You are part human." He reminded himself. You are human.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Zatanna**_

Zatanna Zatara anxiously smoothed her skirt and fixed her hair. To say she was nervous was an understatement, the butterflies in her stomach were threatening to burst out judging by how fast they were bouncing around her empty belly. There had been no sign of her father yet, and the teen magician could only pray it would stay that way for a while.

She stood awkwardly in front of the entrance to Happy Harbor and tapped the button. A red light flashed and a red light shot into Zatanna's eyes. She winced as a pleasant female voice beeped from the system. "Recognized, Zatanna Zatara #8098."

Zatanna looked around and a blue light shone on her. "Uh…" She stuttered as she felt herself go weightless. A moment later she was standing in a gray room, the blue light fading away and luckily all of her body parts still intact. A pretty blonde lady in leather and fishnet crossed her arms when she saw Zatanna.

"Why, if it isn't Zatanna Zatara" She chuckled. "I heard that your Pops said no to you're coming." She said.

Zatanna bit her lip. She recognized the woman from TV, it was the Black Canary. "You're Black Canary, aren't you?" She asked in an attempt to change the subject. Black Canary laughed.

"Nice try kiddo, but I'm going to make a wild guess and say that old Zatara doesn't know you're here?" She asked.

Zatanna sighed. "Possibly." She looked down and fidgeted with her white gloves.

"You're secrets safe with me." Black Canary said.

Zatanna looked up with hope in her large chocolate eyes. "Really?"

Black Canary smiled and patted her shoulder. "I was a rebellious teenager once as well." She said. The two smiled as a teary green girl ran in. When she saw the smiling pair she froze.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll go the other way." She whimpered.

Black Canary rolled her eyes. "Let's not be overdramatic M'gann. What's wrong?" Zatanna was no stranger to odd things because of her background, but the Martian like girl was certainly a first.

"I was at Happy Harbor with the Aqualad and I read his mind and apparently that's not okay on Earth and I felt awful and apologized but he just said I know and-"

Black Canary held up a hand. "Whoa Martian, take it slow. It's really fine. I heard that Kaldur went through a hard time so I'm sure he just overreacted. Now, smile and meet your teammate. Zatanna Zatara, meet M'gann M'rozz." They shook hands.

"What are you?" M'gann asked bluntly.

Zatanna frowned. "Pardon me?" She asked.

M'gann chuckled. "Sorry, I haven't been here very long. What kind of powers do you possess?"

Zatanna blushed lightly. "I'm actually a magician, my dad is Giovanni Zatara."

M'gann smiled. "Lovely. I'm Martian Manhunter's niece, I just came from Mars."

Zatanna's eyes lit up. "I've always wanted to meet a real Martian. Do you have the same powers as your uncle?"

M'gann blushed. "Well, more or less. Now, if you'd pardon me I have to go profusely apologize to Aqualad some more." She smiled and excused herself.

Black Canary sighed. "Martians, they are drama. Oh well, that's one teammate down. Why don't I show you to your room?" Zatanna nodded and followed Canary down a stone hall. "Your room used to belong to Empress; she was a voodoo practitioner actually." Zatanna nodded. "Do you have any belongings?" Black Canary asked.

_".ereh raeppa sgnigoleB"_ She uttered and in a flurry of clothes a neatly packed suitcase appeared in front of her.

Black Canary gave off a low whistle. "I see you take after you're father."

Zatanna looked at her in confusion. "Who else would I take after?" She asked, truly puzzled. The blonde looked tempted to answer but didn't say anything. "I don't know my mother." Zatanna said softly.

Black Canary pursed her lips. "If I knew anything, I'd tell you kid. Old Zatara was tightlipped about your mother though."

The teen magician laughed ruefully. "That's not all he was tightlipped about. My father is the strictest most unreasonable person I've ever met." She exclaimed.

Black Canary sympathized. "It's okay, my father was a police detective and while he trained me he was quite strict too. Now why don't we go meet your team members?"

Zatanna nodded and the two set off to training room where everyone was meeting. M'gann was already there, conversing with Martian Manhunter. Zatanna also recognized Aqualad and Aquaman, who she had met a few times. "Hello Kaldur." She smiled, cheeks warming at the older boys affectionate gaze.

"Ah, Miss Zatara, how is the teen magician today?" Kaldur asked.

Zatanna smiled at his politeness. "I'm good actually. I didn't know you were joining the team."

Kaldur looked sad for a brief second. "I wasn't going too actually, but something came up and I decided some time away from Atlantis wouldn't hurt."

She nodded. "How's Tula?" She asked in reference to Aqualad's fellow aquatic hero and love connection.

Aqualad sighed. "That was part of the reason I am here." Her attention shifted and Zatanna winced as Arthur patted her hair. She tried to ignore the smell of fish.

"Ahoy, Zatanna." He boomed.

She laughed. "Ahoy, you're majesty."

The portal flashed and in bounded Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman herself. Cassie was all bouncy and smiles, obviously happy to joining the team. Wonder Woman joined Canary, Manhunter and Aquaman in an animated conversation. Cassie pushed her red goggles further up her hair, oblivious to the way it made her blonde hair stick up.

"Hey Kaldur, Zatanna." She greeted her fellow teens.

Zatanna and Kaldur nodded hello. Personally, Zatanna was glad that Cassie had stopped imitating Donna Troy, because she was so much better as herself. When Zatanna had first met the Wonder Girl she had been wearing a black wig and an outfit similar to Donna's, but she had ditched it for a more natural look.

"You seem excited." Zatanna noted.

Cassie laughed. "Is it that obvious? I was going to try and play it cool, but I guess I failed at that." She said well naturedly.

Zatanna crinkled her nose. "I would rather be excited than not, I mean Young Justice is supposed to be a great experience."

Black Canary clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay, we're just waiting for the last four team members to arrive and then we'll go through the introduction. While Young Justice Reborn will be a positive experience, there is also a huge announcement we need to make to ensure history doesn't repeat itself." They all nodded their silent agreement.

"The safety of the team comes before the success of the team." Wonder Woman added on. She smiled. "Until then, continue socializing."

Zatanna turned back to her fellow teammates, wondering who else would walk through the doors.


	13. Chapter 12

_**Kid Flash**_

Wally West shoved another protein bar in his mouth and tried to stay calm. Though the teen speedster would never admit to being nervous, it was obvious to anyone who knew him. His Uncle Bart chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"You're going to barf if you eat any more of those." He said gently to Wally teasingly. Wally gave his uncle an incredulous look. Because of Wally's accelerated pace he also had an accelerated metabolism, and if he didn't eat a lot he wouldn't be able to run far or fast. His uncle stretched his back and tapped his foot. "If you're done shoving you're face, we can go in now." He gestured towards the Happy Harbor entrance. Wally tried to hide the anxious beating of his heart by crumbling the protein bar wrapper.

"I need to digest." He protested.

Barry raised an eyebrow and counted to three. "You're done." He said as he gently nudged Wally towards the door. Under Barry' supportive stare he pushed the button and allowed the red beam of light to scan over his emerald green eyes. He fidgeted and waited for the process to end.

"Recognized, Kid Flash #5698." The female computer chirped.

Wally breathed a sigh of relief and before he could make a snarky retort the blue light swept him into the Young Justice headquarters. The room fell silent and Wally surveyed the group. He put on a cocky smile and relaxed his shoulders.

"Sup Zatanna, Kaldur, Cassie." He smiled easily.

Kaldur gave him a firm handshake and Cassie bounded over for a tight hug. Zatanna just brushed hair in front of her eyes and smiled softly. Wally turned to see an unfamiliar green girl walking towards the group. He gave a cat call at her petite, yet shapely, form.

"And who are you sweet thing?" He asked in a smoldering tone.

She looked a bit psyched out, but smiled none the less. "I'm M'gann." She said.

Wally nodded and tried to look slick by running a hand through his red hair that always stood straight up. "Wally, Wally West. I'm the Kid Flash, the world's fastest teen." He said in a voice that was bragging while at the same time not. "You're not from around here, are you?" He asked as Cassie and Kaldur openly snickered at Wally's flirting and Zatanna blushed beet red.

"What gave me away, the green skin?" M'gann asked.

Wally tried to play it off. "Hey, some people from Earth are green. Erm, not that you, look bad green or that just because you're green you're not from Earth…" Wally awkwardly stuttered.

M'gann gave a forgiving smile. "I'm from Mars, I just arrived actually. My uncle's actually Martian Manhunter."

Wally paled. If there was anyone he didn't want as a future father in law it was the Manhunter with his unblinking red eyes and ripped physique. "That's, uh, cool." He said.

Kaldur jumped into save him. "So Wally, are you nervous to join the team?"

Wally snorted. "Nervous? The only time I get nervous is-"

"All the time?" Cassie cut in. Wally shot the bubbly blonde a look. She was cute in a childlike way, but not at all the kind of girl Wally was into.

"That's a lie." He assured M'gann.

She nodded earnestly. "Oh, I'm sure."

He nodded bravely. Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Excuse me Miss Magic, what are you rolling your eyes at?" He asked.

She cocked her hip, transforming from a shy girl to a cocky teen. "I'm rolling my eyes at your unsupported heroism, Wallace West." She said. Wally recoiled and pretended to be hurt while Cassie patted her back, basking in their triumph.

"Is everyone playing nice?" Canary asked, walking over from the adult group. Wally said 'no' at the same time Kaldur said 'yes'. Canary laughed. "Well, you're a team and you'll have to, isn't that right Mr. West?" He nodded and looked away.

"Has Superboy come yet?" M'gann asked hopefully.

Wally raised a brow. "Superboy? Sounds like an exotic dancer."

Cassie swatted him. "Shut up, he sounds perfectly masculine. Is he like Superman?" She asked M'gann excitedly. M'gann's deep green cheeks turned crimson.

"He's alright." She mumbled. Wally and Kaldur shared a look.

"Put 'Super' in front of a man's name and suddenly he's like walk in porno." Wally grumbled. Kaldur had the decency to only smile slightly at the joke.

"Are you two done being two year olds now?" Cassie asked.

Wally opened his mouth to answer when the portal flashed and a teenage girl strolled in casually with Green Arrow. She had long blonde hair held up into a ponytail and tanned skin that her green cropped shirt showed off very nicely. She adjusted the large green bow that was on her back and Wally instantly switched all of his focus to her.

"Who's the babe with the arrows?" He asked Kaldur. Cassie muttered something along the lines of 'sexist pig' as the new girl rolled her eyes behind her green mask and shifted away from green arrow.

"I've never seen her." Kaldur said in a low voice.

"I would remember her." Wally whispered back.

Green Arrow and the mysterious girl came over to them. "Hello everyone let me introduce you to my niece, Artemis. She'll be taking over as my sidekick." The words hung awkwardly, everyone knew that Speedy had left the position after a fight with Green Arrow. "Artemis, this is Kaldur or Aqualad, Zatanna, Cassie the Wonder Girl and the green one is..?"

M'gann smiled and laughed a little too loudly. "M'gann."

He nodded, his blonde goatee staying still. "M'gann. And this is Wally West, the Kid Flash." The moment the words Kid Flash crossed Green Arrows lips Artemis's face morphed into a mask of panic.

"K-Kid Flash?" She stuttered.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Bleh. Thanks for all the reviews (:**

_**Artemis**_

"K-Kid Flash?" She stuttered.

The red head, who had a cocky air to him, nudged the boy that had been called Kaldur. "Hear that?" He laughed. "I make the ladies go speechless."

Artemis felt her face heat up. Her temper was one thing that her father had passed down, and it was one thing she could have lived without. "I'm not speechless; I was just surprised they let someone like you join Young Justice." She snapped.

He widened his green eyes. "If you mean incredibly well known and handsome when you say someone like me, then yes, it is a surprise. People at least know who I am."

Artemis was reaching up to hit him when she felt Green Arrow's gloved hand rest on her arm. "It's a pleasure to meet you Wally." She said through gritted teeth as Wally smiled and nodded his head, like people should have been honored to meet him.

Cassie, the blonde Amazon that Artemis had seen in the news quite a bit smiled and rolled her eyes at Wally. She snapped his tight yellow spandex suit. "Don't worry about Kid Freak." She said lightly.

M'gann, the green one with the bright smile turned to her. "So, are you new?" She asked.

"I'm not new at archery, but I'm new as the Green Arrow's sidekick." She said evenly. She would have to play her cards close to her chest if she was going to keep her true intentions secret. M'gann looked at her with wide amber eyes. Artemis prayed she wasn't always this happy.

"I'm new to Earth." M'gann offered up helpfully. Artemis just grunted. She saw Green Arrow sending awkward looks towards Black Canary.

"I need to go talk to Dinah." He said as he left.

"Don't ask." Cassie said. "The Oliver Queen and Dinah Drake love issue requires a reality TV show." She laughed. Artemis allowed herself to smile slightly. "Oh, but you would know that, being his niece and all."

Artemis's eyes flashed for a second. "Yeah, I know." She laughed.

"So, where are you from?" Kaldur asked.

"Gotham." Artemis said automatically. They all nodded politely. Artemis hoped that they couldn't see that she was from the Gotham slums.

The portal flashed and M'gann's head snapped towards it like she was a puppy waiting for a treat. Superman, yes Artemis knew who that was, walked out followed by a dark haired boy with a permanent scowl. M'gann smiled and she heard Cassie and Zatanna whisper to each other.

"That is definitely a super boy." Cassie chuckled.

Artemis' interest piqued, while Wally was cocky and arrogant, this boy seemed to be dark and mysterious, which was exactly the kind of guy Artemis liked. He had his muscled arms crossed, black tight tee shirt tight stretched against his tan skin. His dark hair fell into his cerulean blue eyes and he frowned when he saw everyone looking at him. Superman, with his signature colic in place and red cape flowing from his back, stood in a pose similar to that of his young look alike. M'gann half walked and half floated over to the boy and began to converse with him. While he didn't smile or look like he was enjoying himself, he did loosen a little.

"I like him." Artemis whispered to Zatanna.

Wally was glaring at him. "That's who she digs? I could totally take him in a heartbeat." Wally snorted. M'gann was now bouncing up and down, only reaching the Superboy's shoulders when she was on her tiptoes.

"Where can I put my bow down?" She asked Cassie, getting sick of watching M'gann flirt with Superboy.

"Oh, I'm sure you have a room." Cassie chirped. "Let's go ask Arrow." The girls went over to Artemis's 'mentor'.

"Can Artemis have her room number?" Cassie asked.

He held up a finger to show it was going to be a minute. "Dinah, baby, come on." He begged.

Canary crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Ollie, we've gone over this. You're way older than me, and a total ass."

Green Arrow looked peeved. "Dinah Drake, you should be honored that someone like me would find you attractive."

Canary's eyes widened. "Honored? You are a womanizing, inconsiderate douche who needs to come to grips that we're over." She corrected.

Green Arrow's mouth fell open. "But..."

Canary gave him a sarcastic smile. "The only butt here is mine. Feel free to watch it walk away."

With that she turned to strut away. "Artemis, Wonder Girl. I'll show you to your rooms now." She said over her shoulder.

Artemis's worries only grew with every step.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Robin**_

Robin frowned and looked out the window of the Batmobile. It was all too familiar, the scenery and the feeling that came from being around Happy Harbor_._

_Happy Harbor_.

Robin snorted. The memories that swirled through the waters here had once been happy, but now they were just painful.

"Are you sure about this?" Batman asked, his face stoic and eyes trained straight ahead.

"I'm fine." Robin mumbled, staring at the quickly growing coast.

"Dick." Batman said quieter in his regular voice. For a second he would be a guardian, not a mentor or coach.

Dick sighed and looked at him through the white slits of his eye mask. "Bruce, I know what I'm doing. If I want Donna back…"

Bruce's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "This is about Donna? I've told you, the entire Justice League is looking for those kids. Young Justice: Reborn however will be staying far away from the original Young Justice and the Haven project."

Robin clenched his black glove covered fists. "I have to be the one to find them_." I'm the one that lost them._ He finished mentally.

"It's not your fault." Batman said.

Dick ignored him and gritted his teeth. "I'm going to make sure the new team doesn't suffer the same fate as the old one." He spat.

Bruce was silent, his cowl sending dark shadows over his strong jaw. For the rest of the ride they sat, the silence between them speaking volumes.

"I hate how cheery this place looks from the outside." Robin said. For him, everything was off. The sun shouldn't have been shining and the seagulls shouldn't have been cawing happily. Didn't nature know that the original people who had lived here were gone? Apparently not.

As soon as Robin walked into the training room everyone fell silent.

"Batman..." Wonder Woman said quietly.

Bruce nodded. "Diana, Superman." He walked over to them. Robin kept his head up, but instead of seeing the awkward group of teens he saw the real team, the right team.

"Robin. Sup man?" Wally finally said.

Robin just blinked. Zatanna on the other hand had turned beet red and was frantically brushing her hair into her face.

"Got a crush?" Robin heard Wally ask her before getting swatted away. Robin would admit to no one but himself that Zatanna was sweet and definetntly aesthetically pleasing, but she wasn't Donna Troy. No one, not even Cassie, could ever be Donna.

"Wally." He finally replied, acknowledging the Kid Flash's presence.

"So, you decided to join the team?" Kaldur asked in an attempt to lighten him up.

"That's why I'm standing here." He said.

"I'm glad to see you're accepting all that's going on." Canary said, reentering the room with an unfamiliar blonde and Cassie.

Robin remained stoic. "Accepting? No. Adjusting? Perhaps, in time." He replied.

She smiled and rubbed her throat. When Canary had a sore throat, it usually resulted in a lot of ear drum shattering screams.

Cassie finally sighed and went over to hug him. He remained rigid and stiff in her grip, strong like Donna's, but controlled at the same time. "Hey, we've missed you Dick. I get how you feel. I miss Donna too." She whispered in his ear.

Robin let out a rush of air. "I've missed you too, Cass." He whispered back. She gave a tight smiled and pulled away.

"We aren't going to let history repeat itself, not in anyway." Cassie announced. She and Robin shared a look. Through their eyes they agreed that they would however find Donna, and the original team.

"Robin, have you met M'gann, Superboy and Artemis yet?" Cassie asked.

A boy looking who had an air of angst that bared resemblance to Superman grunted and the unfamiliar blonde girl arched a brow, with a weary smile. A green girl with wide amber eyes and red hair smiled and literally flew over to shake his hand. Robin quickly put his detective skills to use.

"Let me guess, you're the teenage relative of Martian Manhunter who came to earth to join the over glorified Young Justice Team?" He guessed.

Her eyes widened even more. "Are you a psychic as well? Here, let me read your mind too!" Before anyone could say anything M'gann's eyes glowed white as she dove into Robin's head.

"M'gann." Kaldur warned, laying his hand on M'gann's arm. He jerked his hand away.

"Her skin is burning hot!" He exclaimed. Robin gasped a sharp pain shattered his brain. He fell to his knees and felt Zatanna grab his arm.

"M'gann, you got to come out! He heard Cassie say nervously.

"Manhunter, M'gann is broken!" Artemis yelled. Robin got to his feet and looked at M'gann. Manhunter cursed in Martian. He gently clasped M'gann in his strong arms and carried her to a chair.

"It's okay." He assured everyone. "I hope." He added uncertainly. Robin tried to breathe through the pains in his head.

Superboy, who had been talking to Canary, noticed M'gann and rushed over. "Is she alright? What's wrong with her?" He asked. It was the most Robin had ever heard him talk.

"She tried to enter the Robin's mind; however there are heavy borders and walls left over from the Haven mission that not even I can penetrate. She is stuck, but I can free her." Martian Manhunter explained. He laid a large hand on M'gann's forehead and she began whimpering.

"This is an overwhelming introduction." Cassie whispered as Robin clutched his head.

"Why does it have to be overwhelming?" He grunted back. "Can't it just be plain whelming?" Cassie rolled her eyes.

"You can come out, M'gann." Manhunter coaxed.

Her green skin began paling and Manhunter clutched her hands. "Do not do this. Come on M'gann." He said. Superboy pushed his way so he could kneel down and looked into her glowing eyes.

"M'gann, its Superboy. I just got here, remember? You said you liked my shirt. Don't do this. You're hurting Robin and we, I, need you to let go of his mind." He said gently. He laid his hand on top of hers. M'gann shuddered and she fell to the side like a sack of potatoes, but Superboy caught her.

Robin sighed as the pain stopped and everything cleared.

"You okay?" He heard Zatanna ask. He became aware of her breath, minty and warm, against his neck and she held him up. He allowed her to pull him to his feet.

"I'm fine." He assured her.

"It would be best to take M'gann to her room so that she can rest." Manhunter said. Superboy picked her up wedding style and followed Manhunter to her room.

"She probably did that for attention." Artemis growled.

Cassie giggled. "Yeah, I'm sure that was it Artemis."

Robin adjusted his mask as Batman walked over. "I'm still sure." He told his mentor.

"That's the longest anyone's lasted in your mind since the incident." Batman remarked. Robin nodded and fidgeted with his utility belt.

"Thank you Zatanna." He said and she released his arm and awkwardly stepped aside.

"This is sure going to be an interesting team." He remarked to himself.


	16. Chapter 15

**Ah! Introductions and rules are over soon, and then the real drama and action can begin! Stick with me, okay? Thank you to everyone, and REVIEW (:**

_**Wonder Girl**_

Cassie watched Robin quietly. She saw Kaldur looking at her but she turned away. Now that M'gann and Superboy were gone, everyone was beginning to settle down.

"You have a mind that does not like to be picked." Wally joked.

Even though Robin was shorter, his glares made Wally shrink back a little. _Too soon_ he seemed to say. Cassie understood how much he much has been hurting to some extent. Being here so close to him was utterly terrifying yet marvelous at the same time. Even though Robin didn't have any interest in her romantically what so ever, just being around him lit Cassie up. He had never expected her to be Donna, though he preferred Donna. Zatanna though had been acting a bit love struck around Robin, but Cassie could easily pummel her to a pulp if necessary.

Wonder Woman smiled. "Well, now that that small drama is taken care of, we can get started. M'gann and Superboy can be filled in later. First off, thank you all so much for coming down to join Young Justice: Reborn. The group is a huge honor, and one that should not be taken lightly. However, there have been some past complications with having a teenage themed superhero team, so Batman and Superman will go over a few instructions." She flashed her magazine worthy smile and stepped back.

The swishing of capes heralded Batman and Superman's presence as they stepped forward. Superman smoothed down his signature colic, though it bounced back into place the second his hand was gone. "Though I was unfortunate to not have any part of the last team, I am quite pleased to be working with this one. Red Tornado, who is currently on call, will be your live in 'den mother' so to speak. He will be staying here at the Harbor as a live in trainer and will be the one responsible for you. Batman will be the one assigning and monitoring missions while Black Canary will be your main trainer. The rest of us will pop in though."

Batman cleared his throat. "While some of you have to stay here at the Harbor, like M'gann and Superboy, some of you are free to go back and forth between your homes and Happy Harbor if you please. Robin and I will be the first to say that privacy is important, so there will be no prodding to learn the identities of each other."

Cassie rolled her eyes. Everyone knew each other's identities; the only one who kept his a secret was Robin. While Batman droned on in his deep and monotone voice, Cassie allowed herself to daydream. Suddenly, she felt a strong grip on her arm. She looked sheepishly up at Diana.

"I didn't mean to startle you." The Amazon princess said. "However, it is time for us to depart. Farewell Cassie."

She smiled and squeezed Cassie's arm before turning to the portal with a final smile. All around her, teens and their mentors were saying goodbye. Cassie absentmindedly played with her lasso and watched the heroes filter out of the Harbor, leaving only Black Canary and the team. Cassie bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. Finally, finally, she was free to be herself! And though she felt a little guilty thinking about it, there was no Donna to repress her.

"What's our first mission? Defeating the InJustice League? Take down LuthorCorp?" Wally asked.

Canary snorted. "How about wait for M'gann to come to and then some team building exercises? You guys are going nowhere until you can work in sync." She said.

Wally pouted. Cassie tried to pay attention to Canary.

"Why don't you all go and change into your outfits and meet me back here in ten?"

Cassie looked around one more time before going to pull on her clothes.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: So, after losing my laptop cord I am so glad to be back and posting this chapter. I hope that you all enjoy and review! Thanks to DianaRose566 (A bit delayed), jenniferhudsonfan33 and kaite hong. Also, I need a beta reader. Anyone interested…? Now, I'll leave you to read so you can review!**

_**Superboy**_

Manhunter laid M'gann over the sheets on her bed and Superboy crossed his arms in wait. "Why did that happen?" He growled. "Did he mean to hurt M'gann?"

Manhunter turned his oddly vacant face towards Superboy. "It was not Robin's fault. You see, there was once a Young Justice team prior to this one, but a crucial mission, the Haven Project, ended in failure. Robin was found in Times Square with no memory of the event and no clue of what had happened to his team. The walls around his mind are impossibly strong, not even I can break through them. The longest I ever lasted in there was no more than thirty seconds."

Superboy felt his brow furrow. "But M'gann was in there for at least five minutes."

Manhunter nodded and looked at M'gann, who could have been asleep. "She is powerful, more powerful than even I. She doesn't and cannot know it though, that kind of untapped potential is dangerous." Superboy nodded and sat down next to her on the foot of the bed. "When she wakes up, tell her everything is fine and bring her to the training room so we can begin." Superboy nodded and Manhunter's footsteps faded away.

He felt an odd emotion, not love, perhaps protection though. He wanted to protect M'gann, she was young, childlike and he wanted to make sure no one hurt her. It was an off kilter idea, but he was half tempted to pursue it anyways. M'gann's eyelids fluttered and she blearily looked around the room.

"My head feels as if it was crushed by a spaceship." She groaned.

"You shouldn't have done that M'gann. Unless you have permission, you never go into anyone's mind."

Her eyes began to glisten. "I-I know. Things on Earth just aren't how I expected them to be. I never fit in on Mars, and I thought maybe here things would be different!" Her voice broke.

"I'm sorry." She said in a removed tone. "I didn't mean to lay all that on you."

Superboy took it all in, processing information as fast as he could. "It's fine." He reassured her. "It seems that everyone, even people who seem perfect, have problems to. Your uncle said to tell you everything's fine."

M'gann smiled and gazed up at him. "Thank you Superboy, for listening. Now, where is everyone else?"

Superboy pushed himself off of the bed and held out a hand. "They're in the training room, waiting for us."

He shivered as she slid her small hand into his big one. He didn't know what this was, the genomorphs had never whispered to him about the tingling in his stomach or the way she made his heart beat a little abnormally. Even if they had he would have denied what he felt, it was not proper for a clone of his power. She wobbled a little on her feet and he steadied her by the elbow.

"I swear I'm not always this needy." She said quietly.

He smirked. "No? I shouldn't get used to saving your butt on the field?"

She rolled her eyes. As they walked down the hallway his super senses were on overload, he smelt the crisp smell of her hair, saw every molecule in her clean skin. His hand, still on her arm, could crush her like a twig. He prayed he had enough control not to. When they reentered the training room everyone was in costume. Black Canary grinned and tapped her chin with a finger.

"I knew that the S shirt idea was a good one." She said.

Superboy briefly glanced down at the Canary approved tee-shirt. M'gann fidgeted with her cape and gloves. Zatanna was dressed to a tee in her black suite top and blazer complete with coattails and boots. Robin was already dressed in his green leotard with the red bulletproof vest, black cape and utility belt. Kaldur was dressed simply in a red tank top made of scales, black pants and bare feet.

"Who's ready to rumble?" Canary laughed.

She turned serious. "In all honesty though, I'm going to plug all of you into the system. As soon as you go under you'll wake up in whatever scenario the machine picks. I expect you all to work _as a team. _Got it? If one of you 'die' then you'll wake up back here. If that happens however I'll expect the entire team to start over until everyone makes it to the end." They all nodded solemnly and Canary gestured to the center of the room, which held nine beds.

"What are you waiting for? Go lie down." Canary barked. They all hesitantly lied down, Superboy one side of M'gann and Wally on the other. He uneasily rested his head against the cool bed. Black Canary walked around, sticking them with needles. When she tried to on Superboy it shattered.

"Oops." She chuckled. "Lobo had the same problem." She pulled out another needle and jammed it into his arm. The sharp pain actually hurt, unlike anything else in his short life.

"Now just relax, close your eyes and take a deep breath."

Superboy closed his eyes and took a deep breath as instructed. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes, already impatient with the scenario. The only thing was that they were no longer in the training room. They weren't even in the Harbor at all. All around them there was desert. It was empty, silent and as far as the eye could see. He nudged M'gann, who was passed out next to him.

"Where are we?" She asked in amazement.

Superboy just shrugged and brushed dirt off his clothes. Robin and Zatanna were cleaning themselves off a little ways away, Artemis was piling sand onto Wally's sleeping face and Cassie and Kaldur were looking around the area.

"This is amazing!" M'gann exclaimed, jumping up into the air. She didn't come down, floating in the sky before all of their heads.

"You can see up her skirt." Artemis muttered. Wally jumped up, spitting out sand.

"That woke you up?" Artemis snickered. Wally buzzed under M'gann, looking up.

She looked down. "Oh, no. I'm sorry."

She laughed as she was completely unaware of how Wally had just taken advantage of her and her skirt. Her eyes glowed for a second and her skirt melded into her legs, becoming a pair of tight pants in the same color. Wally groaned and went to scrub sand from his teeth, frowning at Artemis all the meanwhile.

"Why are we here?" Kaldur asked Cassie.

She squinted in the night air. "Well, judging by my super senses I'm guessing because of that." She pointed a long arm towards the horizon, where a few armored cars and a large trailing were driving down a distant road. Suddenly, the car shuddered to a stop and there were some men yelling.

"I think we've been spotted." Zatanna stated.

Superboy glared at her. "What gave you that idea?" He growled. Out of the sky a lobby of missiles shot towards them. M'gann dropped to the earth and looked around.

"There's no one to take cover!" She yelled over the bombs. Wally was a blur and with a yell Artemis was gone. When he blurred back a second later, she was gone.

"Where did she go?" Kaldur called. He grinned.

"She's safe. Zatanna, buckle up."

Zatanna frowned. "What do you-" She was gone too.

Kaldur began running towards the far off forms of Artemis and Zatanna. Cassie flew behind him. After a couple paces she just bent down and picked him.

"Cassie?" He asked as she zoomed faster. Superboy could still hear him due to his advanced hearing.

"I am a Wonder Girl, don't doubt my strength." Superboy looked around. Only M'gann, Robin and he were left.

"Let's go." Robin called before pulling out a long pole and vaulting towards the rest of the team.

M'gann flashed invisible after a smile and grabbed Superboy's hand. He shrugged away and he felt rays of hurt exude from her before he jumped into the air, ready to fly like Superman. He was high in the air, the bombs below him.

The only problem was that he didn't fly. He fell, like a stone. As he looked down at the flashing explosives and a billion new emotions rushed through his head.

The most prominent thought however was the he was a failure Superman.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: One day between updates? I'm on a roll. I need to make something clear, despite what I said earlier Robin and Zatanna are fourteen, M'gann, Wally and Artemis are fifteen and Superboy, Kaldur and Cassie are sixteen. Yes, this is a bit tweaked but it makes me happy. The villain featured in here is real, just minor known. Thanks to jenniferhudsonfan33 and Dianarose566 and everyone should be like them and REVIEW. (:**

_**Miss Martian**_

M'gann turned around for a second and saw Superboy fall. Her first thought was that he got hit by a missile, but he appeared unharmed. That's when it struck her, he couldn't fly. Before M'gann could react he hit the ground, sending an avalanche of sand into the air. M'gann felt herself return to visibility as she dropped to his side. He was sitting up and rubbing his head.

"I can't fly." He muttered.

"We don't have time Superboy, get up!" M'gann pressured him.

He jumped to his feet and he started to run down the hill. M'gann flew behind him, not as focused on the mission as she should have been. He had laser vision, super senses and all the other abilities of Superman, but he couldn't fly. He had easily jumped high enough to go over a building, but he apparently couldn't stay up. They met up with the rest of the team.

"Dude, did you fall?" Wally asked Superboy. He just growled. The van had stopped firing missiles and was now driving towards us.

"What are we going to do?" Zatanna cried out.

Kaldur raised a cool eyebrow. "We did not come here to run. We will stand and we will fight."

Cassie slid her headband back into place. Artemis was still peeved, shooting glares at Wally.

"Will you just get over it?" M'gann said before she caught herself. Artemis's scowl increased. "We need to focus." M'gann reminded everyone.

Artemis pulled her bow and an arrow from her back, notching it and crouching down. "I cannot use my aquatic weapons; I will run out of water soon." Kaldur said. They all stood a ready, tense and crouched. The van jerked to a stop and ten men spilled out. A helicopter flew in, dropping more men. Superboy cussed to himself, ignoring the looks from Cassie.

"The genomorphs weren't saints; they did teach me some inappropriate things." He snapped.

M'gann clenched her teeth. They needed to work as a _team._ The first few men pulled out guns and everyone snapped into action. M'gann focused on lifting the guns out of their hands using telekinesis before using optic blasts to shatter them. Superboy and Wonder Girl were blurs below, colored streaks that were sending people flying left and right. A man flew backwards into the air, one of Artemis's exploding arrows stuck in his armor. Batarangs and punches flew; the battle long and hard. M'gann couldn't help but panic internally, the scene reminding her of the Martian Wars she had left behind.

When the last of the men fell, the exhausted team dropped into the cool, shifting sand. Robin was wiping blood from his mouth and Zatanna looked ready to drop.

"Are you okay?" M'gann asked.

Zatanna opened her mouth to answer but fell over instead, completely out. With a lurch M'gann caught her mentally, Robin easing her from M'gann's mental grip and onto the ground.

"She swooned." Cassie remarked.

"Yes, she used up too much energy. Magic is powerful and draining when someone is off spell book like Zatanna was. Her energy will come back soon enough." Robin explained. Wally was emptying the contents of whatever was in his arm pouch into his mouth.

"That cannot be it." M'gann said as she looked around.

"Looks like you spoke too soon." Wally remarked as the sand began to swirl. A human shape began to emerge from the powdery substance, arms stretched overhead. The sand fell, revealing a man in blue robes and a blue head dress. He held a golden staff and his head was adorned with a golden headpiece.

"Who is this guy?" Wally muttered. "Who does he think he is, King of the Terrorists?" Superboy's eyes started towards him and Wally promptly shut up.

"I am Felix Faust, sorcerer extraordinaire." The man said in an accent voice.

He was clearly African, and judging by his muscular form pretty strong. M'gann however had never heard of him.

"He's a sorcerer? Like Zatanna?" She asked Cassie.

Cassie shook her head, clearly distressed. "Uh no, Zatanna is a magician thankfully. A lot of sorcerers are evil."

Felix Faust waved his hands. "What do we have here, a group of teen heroes? Ah well, they will not be too hard to kill." He smiled and lifted his staff, rays of light shooting everywhere. M'gann dove to the ground, nearly landing on Zatanna who was still passed out.

Cassie zoomed over, connecting a bone shattering crack to his nose. His head snapped back and blood poured from his nose. His eyes lit and his staff glowed before Cassie was blown backwards off her feet by a black blast. She moaned, staying still for a few moments. Zatanna was picking herself off the ground, now half-conscious but still pale.

"What have we here?" He asked as he spotted Zatanna. He froze for a half second. "Who are you girl? You seem… familiar." He said, not even looking away from Zatanna while he fired blasts at Kaldur, knocking him off his feet as well.

Zatanna swayed a little. "I'm Zatanna Zatara." She said fiercely.

The sorcerer's eyes darkened. "Zatara, I know that name. That man has caused me so much trouble." He hissed. He dropped his staff to the ground and chanted in some foreign language. Everyone froze as a blue light encompassed him. M'gann found she couldn't even flex a finger. Superboy was in front of her, body straining as he tried to move against the spell.

"Here's some information, I can alter reality. Enjoy the show kiddos." He snapped his fingers and M'gann felt gravity pushing her towards the ground. Zatanna on the other hand floated upwards, right into Felix's grasp. "I will kill you for what your father did to me." He growled.

_Come on M'gann. Come on. _M'gann pushed herself.

Zatanna weakly uttered a spell, but nothing happened. M'gann forced herself up, shooting an optic blast at Faust. He fell, Zatanna flying into the air.

"_Wally."_ M'gann said into Wally's mind. _"Get her away from here." _

Before Faust had even gotten up, Wally had breezed Zatanna away. M'gann took a steeling breath and she shivered as her own skin melted away, becoming that of Zatanna. Faust picked himself up.

"Oh, Miss Martian? Where are you?" He sang. M'gann as Zatanna rolled her eyes.

"That's not her name." She snorted.

Faust brushed it aside. "There's no room for formalities. Come here little Zatara." He snapped and M'gann went flying into his hands.

"You're so small." He whispered breath rancid against her own.

She spat into his mouth. _What kind of training exercise is this? _She thought to herself as she felt Faust's long fingers toy with one of the buttons on her vest. Before he could do any damage, Superboy shot out of nowhere and began to pummel him, creating a crater in the sand. As he delivered one last blow Faust disappeared into smoke and the world froze once more. It wasn't like Faust's magic, it was different. M'gann looked around, sliding back into herself.

"_Close your eyes and take a deep breath._" Canary's voice echoed in her brain.

M'gann, familiar with the concept closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened them she was back in the training room, all the other heroes asleep around her. M'gann unplugged herself and slid off the bed, rejuvenated and refreshed. Canary was standing in the middle, looking like she was going to kick everyone awake if they didn't hurry up.

"I came up with a name, Miss Martian!" She exclaimed.

Canary tapped her foot. "We'll discuss the mission in the moment. She pushed a button on the headset she was wearing. Wires hooked it into the system.

"Close your eyes and take a deep breath." She repeated. On the tables, Kaldur, Cassie and Superboy came too. Next were Robin, Zatanna and Artemis. Only Wally remained asleep, cheeks puffing in and out as he snored. Canary pushed the headset button once more.

"Wallace West, if you do not freaking close your eyes and take a deep breath I will Canary Call you back to reality. Got it?" She asked in a voice that was calm but borderline crazy. A second later Wally shot up, unhooking himself and blurring over behind some of the larger team members.

"We completed the mission." Cassie offered up.

Canary took a breath and regarded all of them. "Yes, you did. But it took too long. Faust should never have gotten his hands on M'gann or Zatanna." She said. "You need to work as a team, a team. Pull it together." Artemis opened her mouth to protest.

"Save it." Canary snapped. Everyone began talking at once, voices echoing in the cavern. Canary opened her mouth, a shrill and sonic shriek bursting out. Everyone, especially the ones with the heightened senses, dropped to their knees and covered their ears. M'gann grimaced and bit her lip until the noise subsided.

Canary coughed and rubbed her throat. "I'm going to go now; Tornado will be here in a few minutes. I trust you can take care of yourselves until then?" They all nodded and she left.

Artemis collapsed onto one of the beds. "Um ouch, she's got a scream." M'gann smiled and looked down, happy to be green again. Being white, even an acceptable shade, made her uneasy.

"I'm Miss Martian!" She exclaimed. No one seemed too enthused. She deflated.

"I'm going to go see if there's a kitchen; I'll make us some dinner okay?" Everyone just nodded and stared off into space, not really interested. M'gann floated down the hallway; everyone else's unease wearing on her.


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: Yeah… So I got locked out of Fan fiction. Not sure why, but I decided that I would post TWO chapters when I got back on. So here's chapter two. Review, and enjoy (:**

_**Aqualad**_

Kaldur rubbed his hand over his head. He knew he shouldn't have been moping at the fact that Canary wasn't impressed, but it still bugged him. He finally stood up.

"We must get over this. We did our duty and we will improve next time. So put your chins in the air and be proud of the fact that we even completed our first team mission." He said.

Robin, who wasn't sad but lackadaisical on his bed, nodded. "You guys are pretty pathetic. Don- I mean the old team never things like this defeat them."

Artemis jumped to her feet. "Well excuse me _Boy Wonder_, but the old team isn't here, and we are so what does that say?" Robin looked like he was going to hit her. Zatanna, who was still looking shook up and was sitting on the bed next to him, laid a hand on his arm.

"This is what Canary was talking about. We have to get along." She said. Superboy looked angry and just sat there. Cassie, who was usually an optimist, seemed depressed as well.

"Now, when you guys are done pouting you can join me and M'gann in the making of our dinner." Kaldur announced.

Artemis snorted. "The last thing I want is to be around Miss Overly Happy Perfect Martian." She said.

Kaldur sighed. "Do not be so hard on her. She means well, but we must remember that she is new to this planet. Lend her some grace, alright? Anyways, we must all admit that what she did for Zatanna out there was heroic to say the least. The way she just took her place…"

Superboy nodded. "Felix Faust was a creep. If he had even tried to unbutton one more of those buttons I don't know what would have happened." His tone showed that he had a very clear idea of what would have happened.

Kaldur kept silent on the matter. "Well then, is anyone coming with me?"

Wally, who had been uncharacteristically silent, jumped up. "Dude, I do. Let's go cook with a hottie!" He ran into the kitchen. When no one else moved he went alone into the kitchen. M'gann was humming to herself, moving ingredients with her mind and Wally was sitting at the bar, flirting with her.

"I don't think you even know how sweet you are." He winked.

She laughed. "I'm sweet? I'm sorry Wally but on Mars we don't taste each other. How would you possibly know that I'm 'sweet'?"

Kaldur laughed, alerting them of his presence. "M'gann, I think he means sweet as in your personality."

She blushed. "_Hello Megan!_ Of course that's what he meant. Sorry I'm so stupid." She laughed.

Wally shook his head. It's okay, some people can make stupid look good."

Kaldur groaned internally. "Forgive Wally, he does not mean that you're stupid, but simply commenting on your looks." M'gann gave a forgiving smile and turned to pour something into a pot. "What are you making?" Kaldur asked.

"Spaghetti, that's easy enough." She began to stir the steaming pot.

All of a sudden the lights began to flash. "Unauthorized intruder, unauthorized intruder." The computer system blared. M'gann dropped the spoon into the pan, ignoring the drops of boiling water it sent into the air. Kaldur jumped to his feet, muscles instantly tightening at the potential of a threat.

"Honestly? We were alone for how long, five minutes?" Wally grumbled.

Kaldur shot him a look. "Hush, we must return to the portal and make sure everyone is okay." He whispered. M'gann nodded and went into stealth mode. Wally and Kaldur crept towards the door, peering into the training room. A thick, heavy green smoke hung in the room and Kaldur instantly felt the urge to cough. It was so vile, so rancid that it made him cringe.

"M'gann, are you there?" He asked in a hushed tone, trying not to gag. He felt a small hand on his dark arm although he saw no one.

"_Kaldur, stay calm for a second, I have an idea; I'm going to link our minds, okay?_" M'gann asked.

Kaldur jumped, though her words were clear there was no one speaking. _"Are you in my head?"_ He asked. There was a pause. "_I am not reading, simply communicating. Hold on a second, Wally, are you there?"_

"_Sexy, your voice is always in my head, but this is simply fantastic!_" He said in his boyish voice.

"_I'm going to take that as a yes. I'm going to see if I could find the others._" M'gann said back. Kaldur ignored the shivers running up his arms. This was too odd, the whole in brain communication. _"I found Cassie and Artemis!"_ M'gann said a little loudly.

"_Why are you in my head?"_ Artemis snapped.

"_I'm linking us up so we can communicate! Now, where are you?_" Kaldur looked around, the smoked burning his eyes.

"_I'm by the beds."_ Artemis replied. Kaldur and Wally stumbled over, hands grasping for sign of human life. Kaldur felt Artemis's cold hand grasp his. _"What's going on? Where are Superboy, Robin, Zatanna and Cassie?"_

In a split second he felt panicked. Not Cassie. She had to be fine. Tula had just broken his heart, he couldn't be moving on already.

"_They were right here!"_ Artemis exclaimed. "_I can't see anything!"_ Kaldur couldn't either, but he did feel the punch that knocked him clean off his feet and out of consciousness.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: Yeah… So I got locked out of Fan fiction. Not sure why, but I decided that I would post TWO chapters when I got back on. So here's chapter two. Review, and enjoy (:**

_**Aqualad**_

Kaldur rubbed his hand over his head. He knew he shouldn't have been moping at the fact that Canary wasn't impressed, but it still bugged him. He finally stood up.

"We must get over this. We did our duty and we will improve next time. So put your chins in the air and be proud of the fact that we even completed our first team mission." He said.

Robin, who wasn't sad but lackadaisical on his bed, nodded. "You guys are pretty pathetic. Don- I mean the old team never things like this defeat them."

Artemis jumped to her feet. "Well excuse me _Boy Wonder_, but the old team isn't here, and we are so what does that say?" Robin looked like he was going to hit her. Zatanna, who was still looking shook up and was sitting on the bed next to him, laid a hand on his arm.

"This is what Canary was talking about. We have to get along." She said. Superboy looked angry and just sat there. Cassie, who was usually an optimist, seemed depressed as well.

"Now, when you guys are done pouting you can join me and M'gann in the making of our dinner." Kaldur announced.

Artemis snorted. "The last thing I want is to be around Miss Overly Happy Perfect Martian." She said.

Kaldur sighed. "Do not be so hard on her. She means well, but we must remember that she is new to this planet. Lend her some grace, alright? Anyways, we must all admit that what she did for Zatanna out there was heroic to say the least. The way she just took her place…"

Superboy nodded. "Felix Faust was a creep. If he had even tried to unbutton one more of those buttons I don't know what would have happened." His tone showed that he had a very clear idea of what would have happened.

Kaldur kept silent on the matter. "Well then, is anyone coming with me?"

Wally, who had been uncharacteristically silent, jumped up. "Dude, I do. Let's go cook with a hottie!" He ran into the kitchen. When no one else moved he went alone into the kitchen. M'gann was humming to herself, moving ingredients with her mind and Wally was sitting at the bar, flirting with her.

"I don't think you even know how sweet you are." He winked.

She laughed. "I'm sweet? I'm sorry Wally but on Mars we don't taste each other. How would you possibly know that I'm 'sweet'?"

Kaldur laughed, alerting them of his presence. "M'gann, I think he means sweet as in your personality."

She blushed. "_Hello Megan!_ Of course that's what he meant. Sorry I'm so stupid." She laughed.

Wally shook his head. It's okay, some people can make stupid look good."

Kaldur groaned internally. "Forgive Wally, he does not mean that you're stupid, but simply commenting on your looks." M'gann gave a forgiving smile and turned to pour something into a pot. "What are you making?" Kaldur asked.

"Spaghetti, that's easy enough." She began to stir the steaming pot.

All of a sudden the lights began to flash. "Unauthorized intruder, unauthorized intruder." The computer system blared. M'gann dropped the spoon into the pan, ignoring the drops of boiling water it sent into the air. Kaldur jumped to his feet, muscles instantly tightening at the potential of a threat.

"Honestly? We were alone for how long, five minutes?" Wally grumbled.

Kaldur shot him a look. "Hush, we must return to the portal and make sure everyone is okay." He whispered. M'gann nodded and went into stealth mode. Wally and Kaldur crept towards the door, peering into the training room. A thick, heavy green smoke hung in the room and Kaldur instantly felt the urge to cough. It was so vile, so rancid that it made him cringe.

"M'gann, are you there?" He asked in a hushed tone, trying not to gag. He felt a small hand on his dark arm although he saw no one.

"_Kaldur, stay calm for a second, I have an idea; I'm going to link our minds, okay?_" M'gann asked.

Kaldur jumped, though her words were clear there was no one speaking. _"Are you in my head?"_ He asked. There was a pause. "_I am not reading, simply communicating. Hold on a second, Wally, are you there?"_

"_Sexy, your voice is always in my head, but this is simply fantastic!_" He said in his boyish voice.

"_I'm going to take that as a yes. I'm going to see if I could find the others._" M'gann said back. Kaldur ignored the shivers running up his arms. This was too odd, the whole in brain communication. _"I found Cassie and Artemis!"_ M'gann said a little loudly.

"_Why are you in my head?"_ Artemis snapped.

"_I'm linking us up so we can communicate! Now, where are you?_" Kaldur looked around, the smoked burning his eyes.

"_I'm by the beds."_ Artemis replied. Kaldur and Wally stumbled over, hands grasping for sign of human life. Kaldur felt Artemis's cold hand grasp his. _"What's going on? Where are Superboy, Robin, Zatanna and Cassie?"_

In a split second he felt panicked. Not Cassie. She had to be fine. Tula had just broken his heart, he couldn't be moving on already.

"_They were right here!"_ Artemis exclaimed. "_I can't see anything!"_ Kaldur couldn't either, but he did feel the punch that knocked him clean off his feet and out of consciousness.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: If I get locked out of Fanfiction one more time… So, this is the first chapter that was reviewed by my lovely Beta Reader, DianaRose566. If you like it, give her some props. Read and Review, okay? You really make a lonely girl happy (:**

_**Zatanna**_

The one thing Zatanna was aware of was the burning humiliation of the Faust run-in. She had come to prove herself to her father, but on the first training mission Wally had had to carry her out as if she was some damsel in distress. The only thing she had proved was that she was a child and had needed someone to save her. Her magic wasn't even powerful, and she had passed out after a single fight. M'gann, who meant well, had had to pretend to be her and had nearly been taken advantage of, albeit in her body.

The next thing Zatanna was aware of was the fact that every breath hurt. Her lungs were aching from a thick burning cloud of what felt like chemicals. She felt the hard floor of the training room underneath her, thick smoke smothering her. With a burst of pain she pried her eyes open and looked around to see green smoke, thick and heavy in the air. Ignoring the fire in her bones she rolled off her back and into a crouching position.

"_Zatanna, Cassie, Robin? Come on, where are you guys?_" She heard M'gann ask.

She instantly clutched her head and lost balance, falling onto her butt. "_What are you doing? Are you in my head?"_ She thought.

She suddenly felt a rush of relief that had to be coming from M'gann. _"Yeah, Wally and Artemis are already here, and I just lost connection with Kaldur. Do you know where Superboy, Robin or Cassie is?_"

Zatanna reached around her; there was no sign of anyone else. _"I'm alone."_ She responded. _"Where are you guys?"_

There was a lapse before M'gann replied. _"I'm right by the kitchen. Start looking for the others, okay?"_ Zatanna nodded before remembering that M'gann couldn't see her.

"_Ten-four."_ She chirped back.

"_Maybe I'll run into you."_ Wally said seductively.

She heard Artemis snort. _"Ha, right, in your dreams Kid Blunder." _

Zatanna rolled her eyes at Artemis and Wally's hate flirting. She stumbled through the smoke, racking her brain for a spell or something that could help her. A few years back she and her father had experienced a kitchen fire. It had been scary, with the thick black smoke threatening to choke her. She had heard her father repeat a spell, so she decided to try and use it.

_With the pureness of summer rain, take away the smoke and take away the pain._ "naip eht yawa ekat dna ekoms eht ekat, niar remmus a fo ssenerup eht htiW." She muttered to herself.

As if there was a whirlwind, the smoke began to funnel upwards in a green cloud, where it hung by the ceiling before dissipating. The smell was washed away by the aroma of a forest after a heavy rainfall. Zatanna wobbled a bit, the spell was longer but it wasn't too draining. She looked around, the room was empty.

"_I got rid of the smoke."_ She silently told M'gann.

She crept into the kitchen, where M'gann, Wally and Artemis were coughing into their various arms.

"Good job." M'gann said, her voice sounding odd now that it was out of Zatanna's head.

"Where are the others? What's going on here?" Artemis asked, sounding as cross as usual. Wally smiled and put his arms out.

"Hey, ladies, it's okay, Wally's here. Just think, there are three of you and one of me and-"

"Three missing team mates who may or may not be in danger." Artemis snapped.

Wally dejectedly dropped his arms. "Maybe another time then, sugar plum. Should we split up?" He asked.

M'gann shook her head. "No, we should work as a team. Let's go to the loading dock?" They all nodded and Wally tapped the lightning symbol on his uniform, that tight spandex turning black.

"I had it put in before joining the team. You never know what kind of midnight rendezvous you might have to make." He said with a wink. Zatanna just turned to walk down the hall.

"Uh, Zee, your shoes are kind of loud." Wally noted. Zatanna looked down in surprise at her small heeled boots.

"Sorry." She blushed. After murmuring a spell the heel slid into the shoes sole. M'gann smiled and Artemis rolled her eyes.

They paused at the entrance of the loading port, which was a huge cavern that the modes of transportation were stored in.

"What now? What if something's waiting behind the door?" Artemis whispered.

M'gann shrugged. "I'll go invisible to camouflage mode." She said before shifting, the air taking her place.

"What about you? Do you have some magic spell to turn invisible too?" Zatanna shrunk under Artemis' cynical gaze.

"Yeah, but I think I need to save my energy in case something goes awry." She said. Wally put a sympathetic arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry; she's just bitter because she has no powers." He soothed her. She slid out from under his muscled arm and looked around.

"Should we go in after her?" She asked Artemis, not liking the vibes from either of her team members.

They nodded and sticking close to the wall edged in. Artemis pulled her bow and arrows out, at the ready. Robin and Kaldur were chained upside down, hanging from a pole. Cassie was wrapped in her own lasso and Superboy was chained with something that was glowing green.

"Is that Kryptonite?" Wally whispered. Kryptonite was a rock based element that was lethal to Superman and Superboy as well apparently. Zatanna almost swore that she saw the air rustle a bit by a chained Robin, who was wiggling like a fish.

"Who is this lady?" Kaldur grunted, the blood starting to pool in his head.

"She's a villain from Gotham, Bats and I have faced her a gazillion times. She's completely insane, brilliant, but insane." Zatanna tried to figure out how it could be.

"Ya think I'm brilliant? Oh birdie, you sure know how to tickle a girl's fancy!" A high pitched voice with a very distinct Brooklyn accent squealed. "Puddin' doesn't expect much for me, but when he hears that I caught the Young Justice League in their own hideout… oh my, my, my! He'll be so proud!"

She entered Zatanna's view. She was a Harlequin, or something reminiscent of one. She was tiny for sure, with a small frame and short legs. She bounced around with the enthusiasm of a child, the bells on her red and black jester cap jingling merrily. Her skin however was pale white, her lips black. Even from the door Zatanna could see her brilliant blue eyes behind her black mask.

"I used such good explosives, and I got ya all tied up by myself! Oh, Papa J will be so amazed." She said romantically.

Papa J… Where had Zatanna heard that before? The woman stretched out her red and black clad arms.

"Mistah J will love me again!"

Even though he was upside down, Robin let out a heaving sigh. "Harley, how long were you in Arkham Asylum? Did the Joker ever try to rescue you?"

Her lips quivered. "Well, ah, no. But I had made him mighty angry and Mistah J will feel better when I bring him your dead body, little birdie!" Zatanna had heard of the Joker, and he was someone she didn't want to meet. If this girl was his girlfriend, estranged or not, she had to be deadly as well.

"Harley Quinn, remember when you tried to kill Batman? Did Joker like that?"

She rolled her eyes. "This is different." She sang before skipping off.

There was a whooshing sound and Cassie's lasso fell to the floor. She stood up, stretching and cracking her knuckles. The whoosh, which had to be M'gann, went around untying everyone. Superboy collapsed to the ground and M'gann used her telepathy to float him to a corner. Harley pranced back in, freezing in her tracks.

"What are you all doing?" She wailed as M'gann flashed into view and Robin pulled out a Batarang.

"Sorry Harley Q, but this is our turf." He flung it, the bat shaped piece of metal bouncing off the wall and knocking the gun from Harley's hand. The rest was easy. In a moment she was laying on the ground, wrapped in Cassie's lasso and moaning.

"Who sent you?" Cassie barked.

Harley looked up at her in surprise. "I came on my own!" She said, her face surprised as if her own throat had betrayed her, which it had as Cassie's lasso had the ability to make people speak the truth, just as Diana's did.

"Why?" Cassie interrogated. Harley's face froze for a moment.

"To finish your training." She said in Canary's voice. They all looked around. Artemis's bow dropped to the ground.

"What?" She asked.

Zatanna felt an odd feeling run up her spine. Harley began to laugh, still in Canary's voice before everything flashed black.


	22. Chapter 21

**Just a filler chapter, a break between missions you could say. Read and Review (:**

_**Kid Flash**_

Wally shuddered and rolled his head around. He was back in the bed in the training room. He sat up, looking curiously at his barely conscious teenage comrades.

"I had the strangest dream." He said in a dazed voice. "And you were there, and you were there and you were there!" He said, pointing at Artemis, M'gann and Zatanna respectfully.

Artemis rolled her eyes. Wally for the life of him couldn't understand why she was 'immune' to his lady attracting charms.

"What happened?" Superboy asked. The color had come back to his skin after the Kryptonite incident. The clicking of heels heralded Black Canary and Red Tornado.

"Welcome back." She said with a smile. M'gann figured it out first.

"That whole time we hadn't woken up? We were in a simulator inside of a simulator?"

Canary nodded.

"Precisely; as a Young Justice team you have to be proficient in learning to how to work under surprising circumstances. When you 'woke up' from the fake mission, or the Felix Faust mission, the goal was for you to work when the circumstances were against you. Although you completed the mission in an acceptable manner, we needed to see how well you could pick yourself up after you were discouraged. The ability to perform even when others disagree with you is your biggest asset. Anyways, Harley Quinn would never be able to get in here single handedly, but we needed to see you perform under pressure. The things you guys came up with! M'gann, the way you linked everyone's minds is genius, we don't ever need to use com links again."

Wally looked around at the confused faces. "You can't just mess with our minds!" Wally protested. Robin played with a Batarang.

"Actually, we can." Red Tornado said in his monotone, robotic voice. "We need to prepare you for any scenario, regardless of how we do it." He finished.

They all shared a disturbed glance. "Anyways, you guys did good, taking what we said to heart after I degraded you after the Faust mission." Canary said. Wally detached himself from the machine.

"I'm hungry; the spaghetti M'gann was making was apparently not real."

This jolted M'gann from her stupor and she also detached herself, sliding off the bed. "I'll cook… again."

Wally followed her into the kitchen. She began fiddling with pots and pans telepathically, dropping and flinging things.

"Whoa hot stuff, cool down," Wally chuckled. "Is everything alright over there?"

She turned around, dropping an egg into a pan. "I didn't even notice that I wasn't awake Wally. That's the biggest insult to a telepath, someone was messing with my mind and I didn't even notice!"

Wally rolled his shoulders back. "You don't have to stop cooking to have a heart to heart with Wally." He said with a smile. She gave him an endearing grin and continued to cook.

"I can't believe I didn't notice."

He watched her stir the mixture and set it on the stove. "Hey, it's all cool M'gann. No one, not even the Boy Wonder, realized."

She rolled her eyes. "No one, not even the Boy Wonder, is a telepath."

He watched the food sizzle, the delicious aroma wafting into the air. "We're new at this M'gann, heck you're new to Earth. Give it some time; I am sure that you'll do great." He reassured her. She smiled and the food lifted into the air, pulled by her mind like an invisible marionette.

Artemis came stomping into the kitchen, water dripping off of her soaking body.

"What-" Artemis raised a hand, cutting M'gann off.

"Don't even ask." She spat through gritted teeth. Wally played with the end of her drenched blonde ponytail.

"You look like a wet dog." He teased. Her eyes lit up and she threw herself at Wally, knocking him off the chair and onto the floor.

"I am going to kill you!" She threatened, beginning to hit him.

She was light on his chest, though her punches hurt like the dickens. All the sudden she was above him, hovering in the air. Wally felt cold invisible hands pulling him off the ground and away from Artemis. She was struggling against her non visible bonds, face red with exertion. M'gann had her arms crossed.

"Now what kind of team work is this?" She reprimanded. Wally smirked.

"I like it when you hold me like this." He said silkily. Before he could say anything else he was on the ground, the breath whooshing out of him. In seconds he was back on his feet, leaned against the counter. Artemis looked ready to explode.

"Put me down, you green f-freak!" She hollered. M'gann's face fell and Artemis was set on the ground gently. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to dry off." She snapped before stomping from the room.

"She's the freak." Wally muttered after her.

M'gann frowned. "Wally, you shouldn't treat her that way. Don't hide your feelings like that, okay?" He looked around to make sure no one was there.

"What feelings? Miss M, you must be picking up the wrong signal that I'm sending to Artemis." He said lightly. She cocked her head.

"I don't even need to be a telepath to know you like her, or at least think she's cute."

Wally rolled his eyes. "You are cute. She is a savage beast with no hope of taming." He snorted.

Before M'gann could reply, Kaldur plodded into the room.

"Is our friend Artemis in here?" He asked. "I'm following her footsteps." He gestured to the ground, where Artemis's wet footprints littered the ground.

"What happened to her?" The teen speedster asked.

Kaldur looked sheepish. "We decided to practice for the next time Canary and Crew decides to pull something on us. She wasn't looking and rolled right into the path of my water blade." He gestured to the black cords that stretched around his arms, leading to his back.

"I would've paid to see that." Wally muttered.

His attention span didn't last very long however, and he found his eyes trailing around the room. When nothing caught his interest he was half tempted to jump up and find Artemis to tease her, but M'gann's words rang true in his head. As much as he enjoyed flirting with the green Martian, there was something about Artemis that he couldn't figure out, and it wasn't the fact that she had tried to pummel his face in. She had spunk, and the way she rejected all of Wally's advancements… well it was one of the hotter things about her. He hoped no one else could see what M'gann did, that no one else had guessed by now about how he actually wanted to do more than flirt with Artemis, because heaven forbid the cocky girl had something to hang over the boys red head. Wally suddenly became aware of the sound of snapping.

"Are you on this Earth, Wally?" M'gann asked gently.

Wally blushed and slid off the barstool he was perched on. "Of course, I'll catch you around. Call me when the foods ready." And before she could say a word he had breezed out the door.


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: So even if the time it took for me to update wasn't terribly long, it was long for me. I am very sorry; it was just other projects got in the way. Review, okay? You guys make me happy.**

_**Artemis**_

A recently dried Artemis dialed the numbers as fast as she could, her fingers jabbing into the buttons with all of the ferocity she could muster. The blare of the ring was grating and unsettling. As angry as she was, she knew this was a bad idea. The ringing stopped and there was a hitch in the line. Artemis's breath caught, maybe it wasn't too late; there could be a chance that he wouldn't pick up.

"It better be good kid." He growled.

Artemis felt her confidence waver, but she tried to stay calm. "I won't, no, I can't do this anymore." She said.

Static met her. Was he angry? When she came home, would her mother be nursing a black eye for her sass? There was a grunting sound that turned into a full blown laugh. It was one of the few times that Artemis had heard her father laugh, and it was not a pleasant experience. He laughed with no pleasure, as if there were pain behind every chortle, but it was a gleeful experience.

"You actually think that is your choice?" He asked when the laughter subsided.

Artemis prided herself on being strong, but she didn't want to do this any longer. Wally, M'gann…. They were obnoxious in their own ways but they didn't deserve what her father had planned. Lawrence Crock was a low man, and had never hesitated to abuse his wife or either of his daughters in the past. The ill will he had to those he despised was nearly unthinkable to the teen archer.

"It's my life; I can do whatever what I want with it. You can't control me forever, I won't be a little kid my whole life, and one day I am going to get away from you, you psychopath!" As soon as the words slipped from her mouth she regretted it. Artemis had always been careful to keep her thoughts to herself.

"You will never get away from me, Artemis Crock. Don't you understand? I control you, and I always will. No matter where you go or who you pretend to be, I will always find you." He asked, voice ringing with menace.

Her breath caught. Resisting, arguing, would be futile. "Why am I here? What do you want from me?" She asked with a cracked voice.

Her father gave a dry chuckle. "Your entire life I have trained in archery, hoping you would be second only to me. You have been groomed to shoot far targets, and most importantly targets that can move quite…fast." He said.

Artemis felt it start to sink in. "Fast?" She asked, her voice a dry whisper unfamiliar to her own ears. "You want me to kill Wally." She said the words foreign and floating in the air. She could practically see her father's emotionless smile.

"Wally, is that what they call the Kid Flash? Regardless of if he has a ridiculous name like 'Wally' or not, he is your duty. Dispose of him, but get the trust of the team first."

Artemis felt the phone slipping in her fingers, which were now as strong as jelly.

"Jade, heaven forbid I can wrangle her into submission, will do the rest."

Her throat was scratchy, burning as if she had swallowed a handful of nails. "What about Green Arrow?" She asked.

Her father seemed bored with the conversation. "He is still under our control. I have matters to attend to now Artemis, important matters." The phone clicked and the line went dead.

"You mean matters that are more important than me." She mumbled to herself. She tossed the phone to the ground and looked around the room she had been assigned for nights when she wouldn't be able to return home, not that she wanted to go home. How could she face Wally, Superboy or even M'gann? Artemis regained control of her shaking shoulders and tried to rub the redness from her eyes. There was a tapping on the door.

"Artemis, it's me." She heard Cassie call through the door. Yes, Cassie was a semi obnoxious blonde but she was one of the few people Artemis could stand around here.

"Come in." She grumbled and the door clicked open.

"Hey, I know you don't really like interacting with people, but M'gann made dinner." She said, slipping into the room.

Artemis looked at the phone and wished that she could tell Cassie why she couldn't get close with anyone, how what she could do in the end would drive them apart in the end anyways.

"I for one am famished after the fake mission." Cassie smiled.

Artemis shrugged and hopped off the bed, the springs creaking. "I almost killed Wally." She remarked casually as they started down the hall. The thought made her cringe, she hadn't almost killed him, and if she got her way she never would, even if he was obnoxious and rude. Everyone was sprawled out on the couches in the entertainment room that connected to the kitchen. Whatever M'gann had made smelled delicious, and Artemis's stomach growled a little at the tease of food. As Artemis dished herself some food she noticed that KF wasn't in attendance.

"Where's the Kid Dork?" She asked Cassie, careful to keep her voice low in case the said boy was lurking around somewhere.

Cassie shrugged, turning to the couch. "Why would you care? He's probably off bugging some poor people somewhere. Maybe he went back to his Uncle's place in Central City for the night." She said casually. Artemis shrugged and took a bite of food, pretending like the hot substance wasn't scorching her tongue. Kaldur looked up sheepishly, eating his food and pretending not to see Artemis.

"I am sorry for getting you wet." He apologized. Artemis smiled softly, feeling only good vibrations towards the people she would have to betray.

"It's okay; I should have watched where I was going." She said in return. She tried to pretend like she couldn't see the looks of disbelief that the team was sending to each other.

There was whirling sounds and Red Tornado clomped into the room. "You are to report to mission room for debriefing with Batman." He said deadpanned.

Artemis stood up, balancing the plate in one hand and looking down at her civilian clothes. Everyone was dressed casually, except for Robin, who wouldn't reveal his identity to anyone. The thought of sliding back into her soggy uniform made her cringe and hope that the Harbor had a very speedy dryer machine.


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: Some of the storylines will go along with the show, but some won't. I'm considering moving this to the T.V. show section… yes? No? Comment and tell me. Thank you to my lovely Beta DianaRose566 and everyone who's still with this. And Felix Faust was in one of the new episodes! (:**

**_Robin_**

Robin trained steadily, trying to block out the sounds of the team eating dinner and laughing. He was semi hungry, but he could live. He couldn't just go in there and pretend that they were the old team, that they were his friends. It was too painful. If he were to stop moving and close his eyes, he could easily imagine that the voices were not M'gann and Cassie, but Arrowette and Donna. Cassie being here was driving him mad, the fact that she was so like Donna. And then there was Zatanna. She was no Donna, but still… she brought back feelings that he hadn't felt since original Wonder Girl had disappeared. He was so lost in his thoughts that he messed up while doing a simple combination, falling onto his face.

"Are you okay?" He heard Zatanna ask before she laid a cool and small hand on his back. He shrugged it off and rolled over, back flipping to a standing position. "That was asterous." She said.

Robin looked at her skeptically from behind his mask. "Asterous?" He asked.

She nodded sheepishly. "Well I don't think it should be dis-asterous, I think asterous works just fine." She explained.

Robin allowed himself to smile softly. "Like the whole whelm compared to overwhelm thing." He said.

She smiled as if someone finally understood her. "Exactly! It's so…"

"Annoying?" Robin finished.

She grinned and looked at him shyly. "Not many people understand that." She said.

Robin rolled his blue eyes. "Trust me, I know."

Zatanna rocked back and forth on her feet. "Tornado just called us in, mission time." She said. "You however are an over achiever who's already in costume."

He nodded. "It comes from being the partner to the World's Greatest, and most impatient, detective. If I'm not dressed and ready to go on patrol with him, I get left behind. You learn to adapt." He said as they began to walk.

"You're lucky to have gotten to go on patrol and to have been able to fight real criminals. My dad is so protective; I've never gotten to do anything. I've never told anyone, but the Felix Faust mission was my first, and I completely failed." She vented.

Robin rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. "Your dad actually let you come to Young Justice, but he won't let you go on patrol? I mean, after what happened to the last team…" His voice trailed off.

Zatanna's face sobered. "We don't know what happened to them, remember Robin? Donna, the rest of the team, we'll find them." She said. He was silent, letting the pounding of their feet speak for a moment.

"I hope so Zee, I really do." He said.

"My dad doesn't know I'm here." Zatanna finally offered up. "As soon as he finds out, I'm going to be locked in my room for the next one hundred years." She sighed. "It's totally possible too. Every time I die he can just use a spell and bring me back to life."

Robin was grateful that she had changed the subject. Wally was the only one in the training room, scuffing the floor with his yellow boot.

"You okay, Wally?" Zatanna asked, her attention shifting from the Boy Wonder to the Kid Flash.

Wally looked up as if surprised. "Huh, oh yeah I'm just dandy." He said, though Robin doubted Zatanna believed it either.

"Well, if you say so." She said, looking to Robin for back up.

He didn't have anything to say though. It was something he regretted, but he had destroyed the bridge between himself and Wally after the Haven incident. He wanted to mend it, but now was not the time. He clenched his jaw and looked away, ignoring Zatanna's disappointed look. Kaldur and Cassie were the next to enter, talking animatedly to themselves. The rest of the team filtered in, Artemis huffing into last place. Her tight and revealing outfit seemed uncomfortable and she was wriggling and picking at it. The screen flashed to life and Batman appeared, stoic and dark.

"Team; there's been a situation at the Hall of Justice. Circe has taken tourists hostage and has the building barricaded. The rest of the League is tied up; you'll be on your own. Good luck team." The screen went dark. Robin turned to Cassie, knowing the Wonder Girl had often battled Circe.

"She's got god level abilities; she'll be harder to take down than Harley Quinn." Cassie remarked.

Robin pursed his lips. "Then let's get going."

"Wait," Kaldur held up his hand. "We need a team leader, someone to guide us. Robin, you were the leader of the first team, would you like to once again?"

Robin tried to hide the fact that the question made him break inside, made him remember how he had failed those he cared about. "No." He managed to get out. "It's too soon, as of now."

Kaldur nodded. "Understood, friend, I thought something along those lines might come out of your mouth. Would anyone else like to step up to be leader?" He asked the silent heroes in training. No one said anything, but finally Cassie cleared her throat.

"I nominate Kaldur. I mean, he's smart enough to recognize the fact that we need a leader and he's everything I think we should have." Everyone else nodded.

Kaldur frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"

Robin nodded. "You'll make a good leader Kaldur." He said.

Kaldur nodded, still disappointed. "Well then, how are we going to get there?"

"Martian Manhunter has sent in a bioplane." Red Tornado said, entering the room. M'gann knit her brows together.

"A bio plane, as in the kind we fly on Mars?"

Tornado nodded, his head going up and down robotically. "That is precisely the kind. M'gann, you will be in charge of piloting it." He instructed. She smiled and hovered in the air a bit. Robin saw how Superboy's face twisted slightly at the motion, and he knew the clone was bitter about not being able to fly.

"I'll go prep it." M'gann said happily, flying away.

"Thanks Tornado." Cassie said.

The team filtered out, wandering to the loading area. Robin made sure to stay away from Zatanna; she was making him feel too much right now. Robin was the first to arrive at the Bioplane after Miss Martian and he walked quietly up the loading ramp and into the plane. M'gann was seated on a raised platform and had her hands in two balls of light. Robin stood awkwardly for a second before sitting down and buckling in. He hadn't spoken directly to M'gann since the whole mind reading incident, and he didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry." M'gann finally said. "For trying to read your mind; it was stupid."

Robin sat in silence for a moment. "It is okay, M'gann, I know what it's like to do things wrong." She didn't have to read his mind to know that he was thinking of the Haven mission she had heard so much about. "It's a nice ship." He remarked casually.

She smiled. "Yeah, she's really excited to fly again."

Robin frowned, they certainly didn't call the Bat Jet 'she'. "The ship is excited?"

She nodded." Yes, she hasn't flown in a long while. See, Martian's telepathically link with their ships, and ships are always girls. While you won't be able to understand the ship, I can feel what she's feeling."

Robin hated to consider what would happen if they went under attack and the ship was hit. As everyone else came on he buckled himself in and pulled out his tablet with a holographic projector attached to it. He went over the blueprints of the Justice League 'headquarters'. When he felt as if he had a good idea, he began to formulate a mission plan. Even though he wasn't leader, it was his nature to plan and strategize logically. M'gann eased the bioplane out of the cave and over the harbor, the water blue and sparkling below them. Wally had his nose pressed up against the glass, smudging it with his face. Artemis crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"You're getting your dog breath all over the window." She growled.

Wally turned around and playfully wagged his tongue. "You want some?" He winked.

"It's never going to happen, Baywatch." She snapped.

Wally playfully shrugged and went back to checking out the scenery. When they landed, the team filed out. Kaldur clasped his hands together and looked to Robin.

"Though I am the leader," He began. "Robin is the strategist among us. I believe he has a plan?"

Robin nodded and moved some things around on the screen. A diagram of the building popped up. "Zatanna and I, being the smallest, will enter through the vents." He traced a path with his finger. "M'gann and Superboy will go in through the back entrance, with M'gann in camouflage mode. Try to get to the main lounge, where Circe has the hostages. Wonder Girl and Aqualad will go through the dome roof and drop down on Circe. That leaves Artemis and Kid Flash to go in through the front door and take them by surprise."

The team nodded and dispersed, splitting into the ordered pairs. Robin ignored Zatanna and pried off the vent front. He pressed a button on his wrist and a small flashlight illuminated the tunnel.

"Ladies first." He stepped aside and allowed Zatanna to crawl in.

As they slowly made their way down the vent, Robin focused on keeping his gaze towards the metal flooring, and not towards Zatanna's very attractive bottom. They paused next to a vent, light filtering in. Below them, Circe was pacing the room, her hostages bound and gagged. A bit of movement caught Robin's attention and he eyes the shadows carefully.

He caught sight of red hair and a red outfit. Robin froze. He knew that the unannounced visitor was angry with them all, but that hadn't stopped him from making an appearance. The fact that Arrowette, and later Artemis, had been picked for the Young Justice team before him had made him so rage filled that he had quite being Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy, becoming Red Arrow. It didn't matter though, the fact that he was here was about to make things a lot more complicated. Zatanna nudged him.

"What are you looking at?" She whispered.

Robin nodded his head towards where the other hero was prepping his bow.

"Who's that?" She asked.

Robin grimaced. "Roy Harper."


	25. Chapter 24

**_Wonder Girl_**

Cassie leaned over the glass domed roof as Kaldur surveyed the buildings perimeter behind her. The light reflecting off the glass nearly blinded her, but she managed to squint past the shining surface and into the hall of fame. Below her, she could see Circe and the hostages, but her super senses picked up a movement in the shadows. Internally, she groaned. Roy Harper was arrogant, hot headed and selfish, he would definitely mess up this mission.

"Kaldur…" She called quietly over her shoulder. "We might have a problem."

In a second he was by her side. "What is wrong?"

She narrowed her blue eyes as she watched Roy crouch, his bow ready. "Speedy, I mean Red Arrow, decided to make a visit."

Kaldur sighed, dark muscular shoulders slumping. "This team was already complicated enough."

She nodded. "We have to continue as planned." Cassie stood, looking around. "You ready?"

Kaldur tensed. "If you are," With a collective nod they jumped, feet smashing through the fragile glass. Circe looked up, the distraction working.

"Why, if it isn't my favorite Wonder brat." She snarled as Cassie hit the ground and rolled to a crouch.

"I wish I was excited to see you too, Circe." She shot back. The goddess placed her hands on her purple clothed hips.

"Pleasant, but how exactly do you expect to win? I am more powerful than you, and I have hostages."

Cassie smiled. "Maybe, but I am a child of Zeus."

She shot towards Circe, knocking her into the far wall. The goddess howled and in a flash of light Cassie went flying to the ground. The blonde managed to roll over, wiping blood from her mouth and fly into the air again. Circe laughed a sharp and biting sound.

"Give up now, puny demigod."

Cassie steeled herself. "You wish it would be that easy."

Circe's eyes flashed and she held her hands up. Cassie instantly felt the dark foreboding feeling start to rise in her and she clenched her head. She had to stay strong. Kaldur, she knew, was saving the hostages. Circe's powers of illusions were strong and Cassie knew just how badly they could mess with a mind. She felt her knees buckle as she hit the ground. Where was everyone else? She managed to look up through blurred eyes. For a second, she saw Circe standing above her triumphantly. However, Circe morphed into Donna. Oh God. Cassie squeezed her eyes shut.

"You're just an illusion. You're not real." She whispered hoarsely.

Donna laughed cruelly. "That's what you always wanted me to be, an illusion. So you could take me place, right _Cassie_?"

Cassie opened her eyes, looking up at Donna's striking figure. "That's not true, and you know it. I wanted to be like you, not replace you."

Donna just glared down at her stonily. "Do you lie to yourself as well? Then why do you have my whip, fight with my team and wear my mantle? You're second, Cassandra. You're always going to be second best, second fiddle. Face it."

With a scream, Cassie launched herself at Donna, knocking her to the ground. The prior Wonder Girl fought back with the same ferocity, blow after blow.

"Cassie." For a second, she could have sworn she heard Kaldur's voice. "Cassie." The voice insisted.

Out of nowhere, an arrow smacked into Cassie's chest, a puff of smoke exploding in her face. Everything smacked into place, her vision clearing. She plucked the arrow from her chest; it didn't hurt at all, just stunned her. Kaldur, bloodied and beaten lay on the ground in front of her. All around her, hostages were staring in terror at the blood on her own knuckles. Roy stepped easily from the shadows, setting his bow down.

"Still fierce, aren't you?" He asked. She looked down in shock.

"That was your arrow?"

He nodded. "What kind of hero would I be if I didn't save the damsel in distress?" Cassie was too confused to make a retort. Kaldur moaned and his eyelids fluttered open.

"You pack a punch." He groaned. Cassie's jaw dropped.

"Kaldur! Oh my god, I'm sorry. I thought, I thought…"

"That I was Donna? I heard."

"Where's Circe?" Cassie growled. Kaldur managed to sit up.

"She has been taken care off. The rest of the team neutralized her while you beating me up."

She dropped to her knees. "I'm so sorry. I-I forgot that Circe knew triggers. I should have been more careful. Are you okay?"

He nodded, but winced in pain. "I am fine." Cassie didn't believe him for a second.

"Next time, pick on someone your own size." Roy teased. She turned to him, fists clenched. Cassie hovered in the air, nose to nose with the archer.

"Why? You wanna go?"

He just laughed and held up his hands in a teasing surrender. "Maybe next time Blondie, I would hate to see you get violent so soon." Wally strolled back in with Artemis, and they both froze when they saw Roy.

"Uh, Speedy, what are you doing here?" Wally managed to get out. Roy's face hardened under the domino mask.

"It's Red Arrow now." He spat, glaring at Artemis all the while.

"What are you looking at?" She snapped.

"Just wondering how a novice like you would get into Young Justice." He said. Artemis growled and in a second had her bow ready, arrow aimed at Roy's heart.

"You can't beat me at my own game. I could shoot better than you with both my eyes closed and my hands behind my back." Roy said venomously. Artemis stepped forwards threateningly, but Wally buzzed in front of her.

"What are you doing here, Roy?"

He relaxed a little. "Crime fighting, my job. Now, I have things to do." With that he left.

"Rob will be sorry he missed such a happy reunion." Wally muttered.

"No, he won't." Robin said, appearing from nowhere.

Zatanna came up next to him. "We were in the vent, and saw Roy early on."

Cassie felt herself get even angrier. "Then why didn't you help us? I nearly killed Kaldur."

"Not true, I am bruised but am fine. Cassie was simply acting on Circe's illusion."

"It was careless." She said roughly. Robin looked at her, and Cassie knew that he knew exactly what she had seen.

"Careless or not, we got the job done. Now let's go home." Zatanna said gently.

"Where are Superboy and M'gann?" Wally asked.

"They were escorting Circe to her proper detainment. It would be best to go and wait in the bioplane." Zatanna filled them in. They nodded and Cassie bent down to help Kaldur up. He was bruised and had a lot of cuts.

"Screw this." She said at his pain and lifted him up easily.

"You do not have to carry me." He protested.

"You have bruised, maybe broken ribs. I banged you up, at least let me help you." He didn't look happy but he let the subject drop.

As they walked, Cassie began to wonder if maybe she wasn't cut out for this.


	26. Chapter 25

_**Superboy**_

They were the last ones to the bioplane. M'gann, blushing, took her seat as pilot and Superboy also dropped into the last open chair. A million thoughts pounded in his mind at one time. He could still feel Circe's breath, hot and cold at the same time on his neck as he escorted her out.

"_I know what you are, how you feel." _She had whispered. _"I know, clone, what you strive for."_ What the words meant, he wasn't sure, but he knew deep down that they could only bring trouble.

"_You okay?"_ He heard M'gann ask in his head. Her eyes briefly left the sky and met his. He looked over at her.

"_What do you mean?" _

"_I saw Circe whisper something in your ear. You seem… upset." _

He turned away. _"I'm fine."_ She didn't even have to say anything else; he could feel the awkward tension shooting between them.

"So, I heard Cassie totally went primal on Kaldur." Wally said carelessly. Her head snapped towards him. Superboy leaned back, semi interested to see where this went.

"You sure like trouble, don't you Kid Dork?" Artemis asked. Wally ignored her.

"Can it, West." Cassie said her voice laced with anger.

"Can't we all just get along?" M'gann asked. "I mean, Circe was easy to defeat, almost too easy…" She mused.

Cassie scrunched her face. "Maybe it was for you."

M'gann rolled her eyes and Superboy couldn't help but agree with this sentiment. The constant bickering got old, fast. Kaldur, who was still pretty banged up, was slumped backwards in his seat, clutching his head. M'gann guided the ship into the Harbor and they all exited, Cassie no doubt accompanying Kaldur to get medical treatment.

"Everyone else will be going home soon." M'gann said quietly from next to him. "Well, everyone but us." She sounded sad, like she missed Mars. Superboy had no home though; a test tube didn't make a good place to be raised. "But hey, the Harbor is a nice enough place." M'gann said, trying to sound upbeat.

He just grunted, turning the opposite way to his room. It was a lot bigger than what he had at Cadmus, or the Watchtower. It was odd, to have somewhat of a name and somewhat friends. In his sixteen months, he had never expected to have anything like that. And it absolutely terrified him. He didn't want to admit to being scared, it was below him, but he was. Something, deep in him, was scared by the fact that people were getting close to him. He wasn't met to be a good hero, like Superman, he was meant to replace him, be infinitely more powerful, except for the fact that he couldn't fly, or do other things. He even failed at being a replacement. But did M'gann mind? Something about her seemed different than how she portrayed herself, something seemed like perhaps she was hiding something behind the carefree smile and green skin. Maybe he had been too hard on her. Hoisting himself off the bed, Superboy clomped down the hall towards the room he had been in with M'gann earlier. He tentatively put his hand on the handle, opening the door. M'gann shrieked and there was an odd sound. Though she was in the shadows, he could have sworn that she had been a lot larger and more… scaly than usual. It must be your less than Superman sight, he told himself. M'gann stepped into the light.

"S-Superboy?"

He awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, uh, sorry, was I interrupting something?" That's when he noticed it. M'gann was white. Not like deathly white, but a shade similar to his own. "You're… not green."

She looked down and her face turned crimson. "No, no I'm not. I just wanted to see what I would look like if I was… normal." He stared at her for a second. Her hair, the same color, covered the pink freckled flesh.

"I like you better green." He grunted. She looked surprised.

"Really," She held one hand in front of her and it flashed green. She looked at it next to the white one.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you don't look bad white, but it's nothing special. Being green makes you different." He managed to get out. She smiled softly and the green crept up, covering the pale pink.

"Everyone else left." She said, turning to slip something into a drawer.

"Oh."

She smiled easily. "But there's a lot of stuff we could do. This one time, on Hello… I mean a show, they played a board game! It was so cool."

He raised an eyebrow. "Bored game?"

She cocked her head. "Not like bored, board, as in a physical board. I bet I could find one somewhere…" He followed her around as she took the harbor apart unsuccessfully. "I will ask Wally to bring one in." She resolved. "Want to train?"

He looked down at her. "Train?"

She nodded. "Yeah, work on our fighting."

"I don't want to hurt you."

She just laughed. "I'm a big girl, Superboy. I think I can handle myself."

"I'm strong."

"And I have a few tricks up my sleeve too."

"I don't want to hurt a girl."

She put her hands on her hips and leaned in. "No, you just don't want to get _beaten_ by a girl."

He resumed his signature scowl. "Beaten? I could win in a fight against anyone, even powerless."

Her skirt morphed into pants. "Then let's go."

In a few minutes they were standing on the metal training area, their names and numbers above their heads.

"Ready?" She asked. He nodded.

For a second, they just hovered, tense and alert, but then he swung a punch towards her head, holding back as to not hurt her too severely. She ducked underneath, rolling on the ground and swiping at his knees with her leg in a sharp kick, his own momentum knocking him over. He growled and sprang up, catching her tiny waist in his arms and getting her pinned against his muscled chest. She struggled for a moment before raising her leg and kicking back. Startled, he let go and she once again used his own force to flip him. Reaching out, he caught her head and pulled her down too. She laid there for a second, vertical on his chest with their noses touching before pinning her legs on either of his arms. He barely even strained and they flipped so that he was on top of her.

"Nice strength." She whispered. Then she was gone. He felt her slid literally through him, and he rose telepathically in the air.

"I thought we were going for no powers."

She smiled and raised him a little higher. "Expect the unexpected." She released him and he hit the ground with a large oomph. As he picked himself up, M'gann smirking all the while, he began to realize that she actually made him feel alive. At Cadmus, he had felt nothing, and she gave him more emotions than he could handle.

"You need a name." She mused.

He frowned, getting up. "I have a name, Superboy."

She shook her head. "No, like a real name. I'm M'gann, Kid Flash is Wally. You need a name. He nodded and she pondered for a second. "How about Conner… Conner Kent? I like that."

He frowned. "Conner Kent?" It felt strange on his tongue.

"Uh, Conner is from Hello… It's just a good name. And I think there was a hero named Kent once. I think you would make a good Conner Kent."

"Okay." He resolved. "Conner…Kent."


	27. Chapter 26

**November/ 23****rd****/ 2012, Keystone City, USA**

_**Miss Martian**_

"This had become almost too familiar." M'gann muttered to Cassie while avoiding a punch. It had been nonstop missions since they had gotten their footing as a team.

"Who even are these guys?" Cassie grunted back.

"I did some investigating on the way over. It's four out of the Fearsome Five; Jinx, Gizmo, Shimmer and Mammoth."

"That's fearsome enough for me." Zatanna chimed in.

Jinx, a grey skinned girl with two pink pigtails and glowing pink eyes waved a hand towards M'gann and out of nowhere a piece of building fell towards her head. "Having bad luck?" The witch hissed. Artemis, who was notching her bow, growled in frustration as arrow after arrow snapped under the influence of Jinx's bad luck charms.

"_Miss Martian, distract her. I've had just about enough_." Artemis silently growled. M'gann nodded and spun to face Jinx, optic blasts pelting her uselessly.

"Try harder." She hissed, hand glowing pink.

"yawa og tac kcalB!" Zatanna yelled. Jinx shot down the street and smacked into the building, climbing out a moment later.

"I was going to shoot her!" Artemis yelled, showing off an unbroken arrow.

"We need to split up." M'gann commanded. "Artemis, go help Wally with Shimmer. Cassie, help Kaldur with Gizmo." They nodded, Zatanna still sending spells at Jinx.

M'gann flew over the city, landing behind a large, shaggy thing. Superboy was landing punch after punch, but Mammoth just bellowed in annoyance. M'gann shifted into camouflage mode, eyes flashing white. Mammoth clutched his head and stomped his feet. With a quick jump, M'gann landed on his shoulders and put her hands on his head, a bright light glowing as she shot an optic blast into him. Mammoth yelled and teetered under the combined forces of Superboy's punches. M'gann became tangible once more as Robin flung a Batarang into Mammoth's massive chest.

"M'gann!"

She heard Robin's warnings too late. One second she was planted on Mammoth's shoulders, and a second later she was on the ground. Pain pounded from a spot on her back and she gasped for a second.

"Come on, get up." She heard Robin say gently into her ear before half dragging her into an alcove away from Mammoth. Through blurred eyes she could see Gizmo and his fire gun clicking down the street away from them. "Fire is Martians weakness, right?"

She managed to nod, ignoring the way her head felt as if it had been coated with lead. "What about Mammoth?" She asked, in reference to the fact that only Superboy was fighting him now. At that exact moment, a black blur sped into Mammoth, driving him into the ground.

"I think Superboy's got him taken care of." Robin chuckled.

"He needs to control his temper." M'gann said evenly. "He gets quite violent."

Robin snorted. "M'gann, he only ever gets really violent when someone tries to hurt you." She looked confused. "He wants to protect you."

She frowned and they were quiet for a moment. "What about you, Robin? Do you have someone that you want to…protect?"

Robin didn't say anything, just stared out at the winding down fight. "I did once, but she's gone."

M'gann understood loss. She understood what it felt like to have everyone leave, and she thought it better to have no one at all then to have someone and lose them. "Gone?"

"Missing. I hoped… well, it doesn't matter. I need to go help them."

M'gann watched him leave before pushing herself up and using the wall to climb to her feet as well. She hovered in the air for a second and shook her head, trying to clean the burning sting that the fire had left. Mammoth was now a crater in the ground, completely out. Artemis had finally gotten her way and Jinx was tied up, her mouth duct taped. Shimmer was down too, and only Gizmo was still clicking around. Robin was weaving around his fire gun, Superboy trying to get past laser blasts. M'gann floated over, hands held in front of her. Instantly, Gizmo's fire gun spun around to face him. He screamed as the flames singed his skin and scorched the tender flesh. Over the buzz in her head, M'gann heard Robin barking for her to stop. Superboy jumped up, grabbing her and pulling her to the concrete, breaking the concentration M'gann had.

"Are you out of your mind?" He raised his voice. Robin pulled Gizmo from his melting contraption. "He's still alive." He called over.

"What do you think you were doing?" Superboy asked.

M'gann clutched her head. "I-I don't know. He's going to be okay, right?"

Superboy just growled and picked himself off the ground, brushing bits of concrete off of his palms. M'gann stood too, watching an ambulance come to put Gizmo's unresponsive body into a stretcher. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she ended up back in the Harbor. She had floated through the drive back, ignoring the tense look of the team mates. She ignored the whispers, just like she always had back at home. Home; did she miss Mars? Did she miss the customs and boundaries? Walking down the empty hall of the Harbor, voices floated into her ears. Suddenly awake and curious, M'gann slipped into camouflage mode and crept towards one of the doors.

"J'onn, why would you not tell us?" She heard Black Canary snap.

"I thought she had it under control." Her uncle replied evenly.

"Well she obviously doesn't, she tried to fry Gizmo." There was a pause. "

M'gann is a telepath of unequal abilities. She is more powerful than even I. Her heritage however makes things difficult."

"What do you mean heritage?"

"On Mars, there is a war raging the planet. The White Martians are against the Green Martians; M'gann came here to escape that. I hoped here she would find relief."

"J'onn, you are speaking in riddles. Relief from what?"

"Who she is. M'gann isn't as green as she appears."

"You mean?"

"Yes. I had sworn to keep it a secret for as long as it wasn't an issue, and I would like to believe it is not yet one. Her genetics, her DNA makes her hostile by nature, but I believe she really is good at heart."

"I don't know, J'onn. What if someone else gets hurt?"

"No one will get hurt. I ask that you do not bring it to the Leagues attention. I will work with M'gann in the meanwhile."

She didn't listen to Canary's response. She turned and ran, into her room and fell onto the bed. This wasn't how it was supposed to go; she was supposed to fit in here. She was supposed to be good. She wasn't supposed to be herself.


	28. Chapter 27

**Aqualad**

"I cannot believe that M'gann did that." Kaldur whispered lowly to Cassie.

The latter paused to push some blonde hair back into her headbands control before continuing to apply stitches to a cut on Kaldur's arm. "I know; that was like totally out of character." She agreed.

Kaldur looked away from her earnest face for a moment. What had been out of character was the way Cassie had beaten him to the ground, such unlocked fury had been out of character for someone so happy go lucky.

"Kaldur, I am so sorry. For that whole thing back there with Circe."

He brushed it off. "It is fine. You were under the influence of Circe's illusion."

"That doesn't mean I have the right to try to beat you up."

He didn't say anything, just nudged her hands so she could finish the stiches and apply the bandage. "That was fun." He groaned as he stood and stretched his arms, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "Do you want to do something?" He blurted.

Cassie looked surprised. "Like work out? Because I'm exhausted, todays been rough."

"No, I don't think I can take another beating from you." Kaldur shook his head with a smile. "Like something that, I don't know… normal people do who don't live under the water."

Cassie smiled slightly and nodded. "After today, that sounds wonderful. Why don't we change?"

Kaldur smiled, going to change into some dark jeans and a gray sweater. When he found Cassie again, she was wearing a red sundress and gold sandals, her black headband still in place. "Where are we going?" He asked.

"I figured we could walk down the Harbor. I mean, I heard you like water or something." She giggled.

Kaldur laughed as well. "Yes or something."

He led her out to the beach, where the blue water lapped the nearly golden sand with a subtle roar of its barely contained fury. Kaldur allowed the water to lap against his feet. It reminded him of everything he had left, everything he had once had.

"You miss Tula, don't you?" Cassie was quiet next to him.

"More than I thought I would." He didn't look at her, he was almost too afraid to. He didn't want to hurt her, any more than he wanted Tula and Garth together. "I love her, even though she hurt me. I don't really know why, but I guess the heart works in ways people cannot understand."

Cassie's hair was picked up by the wind, blown into Kaldurs face. Wind was one thing they didn't have underwater. Currents, yes, but wind no. The currents were subtle usually, undercurrents that would seemed so benign until you swept you away. Perhaps that was how it was with Garth and Tula. They had always been close, but it wasn't until Kaldur had caught them in each other's arms when he realized how close they truly were. He stopped, grabbing Cassie's light colored wrist. She turned into him, looking up. The sun hit her face in just the right way, bouncing off her hair and settling like pools of fire in her deep eyes. Slowly, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. For a second, he resisted, but the chills running down his spine made him lose control and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They parted for a second, and he looked into her eyes once more.

"Tula…" He whispered into her hair. He felt her tense before it clicked. She pulled away, stepping backwards, tripping over sand. "Cassie, I-"

She held up a hand. "Don't say anything. Please, just don't. I get it Kaldur, I really do."

There was a whoosh and she took off into the air. Kaldur just watched her go then sat down on the sand. He hadn't meant to her. Had Tula and Garth meant to hurt him? Love was a funny thing, and it was becoming more apparent over time that there was no room for it in a life like his. How could he balance being a hero with being someone's lover and confident? He couldn't. Not now. Cassie would understand. He did like her, but right now the other voices in his head were drowning out the way he felt.

Part of him wanted to crawl back to Atlantis, prove to everyone that he wasn't meant to be a leader. How could someone who didn't even know who they were lead a group of people when their lives were in the balance? Kaldur had grown up in Atlantis, being trained at the conservatory. He had no known family, no one but Garth, Aquaman and Tula. Now, Tula and Garth were out of his reach. Aquaman was there, but he was miles away under the sea, ruling a kingdom and far too busy to play therapist to Kaldur. He would have to make do, just like always.


	29. Chapter 28

**November 31****st****, 2012/Happy Harbor**

_**Zatanna**_

Zatanna was collapsed on the couch, Robin sitting next to her. Lately, she had been panic stricken that her dad would find her. This ruse had gone on for far longer than she had anticipated, and though she missed Zatara she was terrified of what he was doing, or worse why he had yet to bust her. Something had to be terribly wrong, or terribly right. Robin was deeply interested in his computer hacking, and the rest of the team was gone around the harbor. Cassie had been scarcely seen, and Kaldur sullen and even more reserved. It had only been eight days since they had defeated the Fearsome Five, and M'gann now disappeared an hour a day with J'onn. Zatanna had only seen Gizmo's grizzled body, but knew that the Martian would have probably killed him had Superboy not intervened.

"You have outdone yourself this time."

Zatanna jumped. She was on edge, every muscle always tensed. Robin sent her a look as Red Tornado, who Zatanna hadn't heard come in due to her deep reflecting positioned himself behind them. "What-t do you mean?" She stuttered.

Tornado, as always showed no expression. "Your readings indicate worry, Zatanna Zatara. Are you well?" She tried to stay calm and breathe easily. Red Tornado waited for her nod to register before turning back to Robin. "As I was saying, you really outdid yourself this time. You hacked the entire mainframe of the Young Justice system in ten minutes."

Robin didn't even look up. "Ten? I must be getting slow."

"It will have to wait; there is an emergency team meeting. Change and report to the missions' room."

Robin hoisted himself off the couch. "Come on Zee." He held out a hand, pulling her to her feet.

After changing and meeting in the mission room, they found everyone gathered. For someone green, M'gann was really pale. Cassie and Kaldur were standing awkwardly apart, and Artemis and Wally were sneering at each other from across the room. Zatanna wasn't sure if the team was still trying to find their footing as a team or they were doomed to fail. The first team had probably been nothing like that. While she waited for Batman appeared on the screen, dark and foreboding as always, she wondered how Robin had coped with living with someone who only ever saw the glass as half empty, or worse saw no glass at all. Today however was the screen was dark and absent, unlike usual. On a normal day, Batman would be delivering the mission, but Zatanna had a gut feeling that today wasn't any other day.

"Team," Red Tornado began. "Metropolis City is on lockdown. The Flash, Batman, Superman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman went into the city this morning and communication was lost. The entire city has been on lockdown, no one entering or exiting."

"What's happening in the city?" Robin asked, professional as always. If he was nervous, he didn't show it and Zatanna commended him for that.

"Klarion the Witch Boy, and his familiar Teekl were seen casting a spell at the border of the city. When the League went to investigate they went missing."

Kaldur stepped forward. "Then we have no time to wait."

On the plane, Zatanna couldn't wrap her head around the situation. They couldn't do it, not if the JL couldn't. Yet, she had come too far and risked too much to run home to her dad the first time there was a major challenge. Zatanna had joined her father on trips to Metropolis, and the city was a sight to see. Today, however a high black dome encircled it, completely blocking the city of skyscrapers from view. M'gann parked the jet in the woods near the edge of the barrier. It shined and almost seemed to move with electrical energy.

Zatanna was no stranger to magic, but she had never seen anything like this before. She tentatively reached out a hand, touching the metallic surface. A jolt flew up her arm, sucking her into the boundary. She flipped and fell, as she was tumbling through space. She instantly felt Klarion's dark magic pulling at her, ripping her, trying to change her form. Gasping for air, she managed to mutter a spell out. _".live s'noiralK morf em tcetorP_"

Instantly, the tugging stopped and she everything snapped into place, sending her flying into the ground. She rubbed her skinned elbow and pushed herself off the concrete, looking around. She had ended up in the city, in the center of a usually busy street. On a weekday, she would be already dead, smashed by a car, but no cars were moving right now. Nothing was moving. The air was still and heavy, dead without wind. There was no sound, nothing but the rustling of Zatanna's clothes as she stood and surveyed the dead city. Cars were in the road, as if the drivers had up and vanished. She spun slowly, taking in the scene. All around her, sprawled in whatever position they had been doing since the spell was cast, the citizens lay on the ground. Zatanna's pulse quickened. Were they dead? She walked over to the nearest person, a thirty something jogger in workout clothes and checked her pulse; still alive. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked to the barrier. She had to warn them. She was only still conscious because of her magic.

"_M'gann?"_ She said, using as much force as she could mentally. Of course, there was no answer. Klarion was nothing if not thorough. With a sigh, she recited the spell for good luck and let the barrier suck her in again. This time was rougher, Klarion's magic stronger. When she tumbled out the other side, her head pounded and the world faded in and out of focus. She saw the black domino mask, the clear blue eyes first. Robin.

"The barrier," She rasped. "It covers the city."

Robin looked concerned and helped her sit up. "What's happening in there?"

She put a hand on her head to help clear it. "What's not happening is the real question. Klarion has the entire city under a spell. Everyone's asleep, like they all just keeled over. I used a spell to stay awake." They all looked towards the ominous wall. "Can you cast the spell on us too? Maybe we can all get in." Cassie mused.

"No." Robin instantly answered. "She's already weak; we don't want to risk the spell going wrong or Zatanna not being able to make it."

His concern was cute, but she didn't need to be coddled. If she wanted that, she would be home with her dad. "I can do it." She said, pushing herself up fully. She held her hands out in front of her and took a deep breath. The words came quickly, and the entire team shimmered for a moment. It was hard running off of her own reserves, but she managed to complete it. She felt her knees buckle, but shrugged off the hand that tried to help her. "Ready? Let's go."

For a second, everyone looked frightful but one by one they crossed through, Zatanna going last. Once again, she hit the ground hard. Everyone else was gathering themselves, Wally already running around and inspecting people. "They're all asleep…" He marveled.

Zatanna pursed her lips and looked around. "There's no sign of anyone but us. Superboy, Cassie, do you see anyone?"

The two paused to look around, eyes seeing far past their own. "There's some activity in the center of the city. It's faint." Cassie reported.

Robin nodded. "Then let's go that way."

They were quiet, sticking to the shadows. Robin and Artemis were barely visible on the roofs, flipping and creeping stealthily. Wally ran through the alleys below, Cassie flying next to him. Zatanna was silent next to Kaldur as they picked their way around comatose citizens.

"_Guys, there are lights coming from one of the buildings."_ Robin said.

Sure enough, magical lights came from one of the buildings, the Daily Planet. Robin mentally doled out instructions and they split up. She crept through a window, dropping into an elevator shaft. The black expanse above her was long and seemed to never end, but she clenched her fists and started up the ropes. At the top, her arms burned and her fingers were raw, but she slipped through the doors and into the office, staying to the shadows. Klarion had knocked things off of desks, papers strewn across the floor. What made Zatanna afraid though was the fact that the missing JL members lay on the desks once occupied by computers and phones. They were all dead asleep, just like everyone else. Even Superman wasn't impervious to magic and none of them even stirred.

Klarion stood in the middle, Teekl crouching on his shoulder. The boys black hair and white skin looked dead, but his dark eyes were alight with madness. "Soon Teekl, soon my dear." He laughed. Zatanna's eyes narrowed as she tried to scope it out. When she squinted, she could see thin streams of magic pulsing from the Justice Leaguers to into Teekl and Klarion.

"_I'm in the room with Teekl and Klarion. He's feeding off of their energy, sucking them dry. He's probably doing it to everyone in the city."_ She explained to everyone else.

"_Stay low Zee, don't let Klarion see you."_ Robin ordered. She slid under one of the desks, a vantage point to see but not be seen.

Klarion tilted his head to the side, face scrunching. "Darling, do you sense something? I smell… an archer." Zatanna froze. She wasn't an archer. _Artemis_. Klarion smiled delightedly. "Teekl, why don't you go out and fetch our friend?" Teekl meowed and jumped off Klarion's shoulder, but midair started to change. Her limbs elongated and paws curled into claw like fingers. It wasn't right to say that Teekl was a human, but more of a Catwoman of sorts, like Cheetah. She purred and stretched her furry body, jumping with cat like agility out a window.

"_Teekl's a familiar to Klarion. She's in human form, she comes for-" _

"_-Help!" _Artemis's yell cut her off.

A second later, Teekl slid back in, tossing Artemis in front of her like she was a fresh caught rat. Artemis rolled over, but Teekl put a strong foot on her stomach, holding her in place. She wiggled and fidgeted, but Teekl held her firm.

Klarion bent over her, eyes bright. "I know your smell well, archer. Smell just your like your mom and pops." Artemis grit her teeth and turned her face away. _Just like your mom and pops? What could that even mean?_ Now wasn't the best time to ask, Zatanna decided.

Klarion chuckled and turned back to the Justice League. "You know, all that time I've spent with your family and not once did I hear that you were related to Green Arrow. Funny how some people keep secrets, isn't it? Maybe I'll let you live."

Zatanna steeled her jaw. Something had to be done. _"We need to move, now." _

"_I've got your back Zatanna." _M'gann instantly responded.

Zatanna focused on Klarion, eyes narrowed. She couldn't do anything too complex, not without serious risks. While she couldn't break Klarion's spell, they could still be useful. _".dlot era uoy tahw od lliw uoy, dloh ym ni won dnim suoicnocnU"_

A barely perceptible magical force crept along the floor, settling at Black Canary's feet, trailing up her body and into her nose. Her chest rose higher than usual, and her eyes shot open, glowing white. Klarion was still taunting Artemis, impervious to Zatanna's own glowing eyes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and when she opened them she was laying on the table, next to Green Arrow. She knew her own body was lying under the desk, with glowing eyes and a magical wall around it. Flexing her fingers, she slowly sat up. Black Canary had better eyesight than her, and everything seemed clearer.

Teekl hissed and Klarion spun around. "That's not possible. You couldn't…Oh." He smiled. "Hello little Magician, it's nice to see you and your parlor tricks once more."

Zatanna cocked Canary's head to the side. "Parlor tricks?" She opened her mouth and released a Canary Call. She didn't know how Dinah did it all the time, her teeth rattled and her vocal cords pushed against her throat. Klarion just held up his hands, a magical barrier sending the energy bouncing away. Teekl meowed and morphed back into a cat, clutching at her ears.

Artemis rolled away, brushing cat hair off herself. _"Now what?"_ She asked.

"_Go find my body._" Zatanna mentally instructed Artemis, who nodded and darted away. After a second, Zatanna felt Artemis's hands on her own, a faint impression on her mind. She dodged an attack from Klarion. Zatanna held her hands in front of her, no body whose body she was in, her spirit was still magical. _"".dlot era uoy tahw od lliw uoy, dloh ym ni won dnim suoicnocnU" _

The room rippled and Green Arrow jolted up, and looked himself up and down, feeling for invisible boobs. Artemis shook Green Arrow's head in disappointment, but rolled off the table, disappearing out the window only to return a second later with a quiver. "Teekl forgot to disarm her prey." It was weird, to hear such a feminine tone in Green Arrows deep voice. She/he notched an arrow and sent it towards Klarion, but it didn't affect him.

"_Back up! Everyone, find my body under a desk."_ Zatanna ordered as she punched at Klarion's head_. _

"_Body, Zee, what's going on?" _

"_We're playing musical bodies with the JL." _Artemis grunted, swinging a leg to try and trip Klarion. When Zatanna felt all their hands on her mind, she once again uttered the spell. The JL sat up, eyes glowing white.

Klarion snickered. "Little magician, you don't want to play with the big kids."

Zatanna easily flipped over him, the motion familiar and crouched, swinging her leg to knock Klarion over. Superboy, flexing his muscles as Superman, pounded him into the floor, but a single spell had him against the back wall. They all ran around Klarion, Wally as the Flash, Cassie as Wonder Woman, Kaldur as the Aquaman, M'gann was Martian Manhunter, but had quickly shifted back to herself, only with all of her uncles powers and Robin was throwing Batarangs from the shadows as Batman. The rush was amazing, to be so powerful. For a second, Zatanna could imagine them fighting like this in the future. Klarion was toying with them, Zatanna could tell, but for now they had him at a standstill. They would need help soon.

"What are you trying to do Klarion?" Robin growled in Batman's gravelly voice.

The witch boy smiled. "The Light needs more. More energy, more power. What better a way to supply for the Haven project than with the very ones who could destroy it?"

Robin froze. "What do you know?" He roared, lunging towards Klarion, wrapping Batman's gloved hands around the witch boy's neck. Klarion just laughed and sent a bolt of magic towards Batman, sending him crashing into the far wall.

"The Light isn't ready, not yet."

Suddenly, the window burst open and a figure bathed in light dropped in. Zatanna's blood ran cold. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her in Black Canary's body. Maybe, maybe he wouldn't care. The light faded away, revealing Zatara's stern form. His top hat was perfectly in place, suit and white gloves pressed.

"Klarion," He said sternly. "I believe it is time for this all to end."

Klarion snapped and Teekl pounced onto his shoulder. "Now is not the time old man."

Zatara clenched his fist, magic spilling out of it. "The Justice League will defeat you, Klarion."

The Witch Boy seemed unfazed. "You and that daughter of yours are no match, it doesn't matter what form you take."

Zatara didn't even look at Zatara. "We'll see if your talk matches your magic."

They locked into a war, spells flying. Klarion started to break out in a sweat, eyes widening. He pulled a hand away from combat and pain seared through Zatanna's mind. She felt her knees weaken and her soul slowly start to slip from Dinah's body. She pushed back, struggling to get to her feet. Klarion giggled and shot her, Canary's body hitting the ground.

"Teekl," The boy hissed.

She saw what was happening, but from the ground it seemed to go in slow motion. Zatara, briefly distracted by her form lying on the ground, accidently allowed Klarion to shoot magic towards Teekl, the black soul of the creature floating from the now limp cat form and into Zatanna's body. The white magic turned black, and pain scalded in her head. Klarion forced her from Canary's body, and she felt herself float towards the ceiling. Her spell broken, the Justice League collapsed, the Young Justice team waking up a second later. Robin clutched her form, holding it down, despite the fact that Teekl was snapping and scratching with her body. Canary had turned pale below her, eyes partially opened and rolled back in her head. It had been careless to put so much pressure on a non-magical human, even one as powerful as Dinah. "

What is it?" Klarion asked. "Unless you surrender, she's going to be just another soul lost without a body."

On command, Teekl flung Robin off of her and stood by the window, toes poised on the edge. It wouldn't hurt Teekl, but it would kill Zatanna instantly and trap her in a state between life and death.

Zatara suddenly looked frail. "Do not harm my daughter." Klarion raised a brow and Teekl scooted an inch closer to the jagged edge. Zatara waved his hand and a hole appeared in the sky. He reached in, pulling out a gold helmet. Even though she had no body, she felt shivers go up and down her.

"Put that helmet on, and she dies." Klarion warned.

Zatanna tried to speak, but her voice was nothing more than wind. If her father put that helmet on, he would be Dr. Fate; he would no longer be her father. The spirit of Nabu would be his forever. Zatara locked eyes with Superboy, and the clone nodded. Slowly, precisely he removed his top hat, setting it down on the floor. He then pulled the helmet over his head. Zatanna watched, transfixed. Would this be the last time she saw his face? Klarion howled and Teekl flung himself off the window, Zatanna's form disappearing. Superboy drove after her. When no impact came, she could only assume he had caught her. Zatara shimmered, and in a burst of light he was gone, Dr. Fate standing in his place. He raised a gloved hand and Klarion howled as golden light wrapped around him like a rope.

"I banish you, witch boy." He boomed in an unfamiliar voice. Klarion's form burned and vanished. "He will be back." Fate warned.

A second later, Superboy was back with Zatanna, now just unconscious. She felt her body pulling her, but something stronger pulled her in the other way. She felt herself drift towards Dr. Fate, float into his helmet. Around her was all white, but her father stood there. Here, she had a form once more and she looked down at herself in shame.

"Dad, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "Do not be. I was mad at first, but your mother persuaded me otherwise."

"My mother?" Surprise coursed through her.

Zatara nodded. "I have much to tell you, but no time. Nabu has been kind to offer me even this brief moment. I love you; I have always loved you more than I loved my own life. You are beautiful, smart and dangerous. One day, you will learn the ways of the Homi Magi, but for now walk the path of magic closely."

"I should never had left." She cried.

Her dad shook her head. "I lost your mother once, I couldn't lose you too, but now I see I was wrong. You will do me proud." He kissed her head before she could say another word, taking a step back. White slowly enveloped him, and once more a feeling of emptiness filled her.

"How could my mother convince you if you lost her?"

There was no answer, just a dull feeling in the pit of her stomach. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. When her eyes opened, she was back on the floor, Robin easily holding her. She just squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to still be out. It was easier than believing that she really had just lost her father.


	30. Chapter 29

**November 31****st****, 2012/Metropolis**

**Kid Flash**

Wally watched the city wake up around him. Under the smashed windows of the Daily Planet, people were waking up and confused voices were heard everywhere. Superman and Wonder Woman had recovered the quickest, but Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, the Flash and Green Arrow were back to. Dinah was still on the ground, drained from what Zatanna had done to her. The GA was leaning over her, holding her hand as Martian Manhunter worked to heal her.

"Dinah Laurel Lance," He whispered. "I'm the old man, remember? I'm going first."

Wally left them alone, the pale color of her skin and Oliver's anxious face too much at the moment. It had been amazing to have been the Flash, to have run so fast, and he felt slow now that it was over. Dr. Fate, he couldn't call him Zatara anymore, was catching the JL up on what happened. Artemis had some nasty cat scratches on her, and except for Zatanna everyone else seemed okay. She was in Robin's arm, shaking and pretending to be asleep, but no one was going to call her on it. No one could call her on it.

"Wally?" He heard his Uncle call from the group. He turned and the Flash beckoned him over. "You did good work today, work that we couldn't even do." He said appraisingly.

Wally shook his head. "We wouldn't have made it if Zatara hadn't shown up." He looked icily towards Dr. Fate.

Robin came over, Zatanna still in his arms. "Nabu, we request that you let Zatara go." He said.

Nabu just regarded him silently for a moment before speaking. "I am in need of a new host. There is a war coming, and I must be there to fight it."

"Fight it with someone else."

Nabu's eyes began to glow. Batman stepped in front of Robin. "We'll handle the matter of your acceptance later. For now, we have to help put Metropolis back together."

Superman nodded. "We need to find the workers of the Daily Planet." Everyone knew he meant Lois Lane. The identities of the League were known in the small group, and Wally had heard his Uncle Barry talk of Lois Lane's stubbornness before. Wonder Woman and Superman flew out the window to help the city.

Oliver was holding Dinah wedding style now. "J'onn, she's still not conscious."

Dr. Fate was the one who walked over. "The magic energy that Zatanna Zatara exerted in her form nearly killed her. It was a novice mistake, but with proper healing her body can be fixed." He waved his hand and an ankh glowed over Dinah. The color returned to her skin and her eyes closed. Her chest began to rise and fall normally and she relaxed into Green Arrows arms. "She will be fine."

Oliver nodded and he carried her out. "We'll go wait at the Watchtower." They left.

Wally wondered over to Artemis, who was staring blankly at the spot they had vacated. "You okay?" He asked.

She blinked, looking surprised. "Do you ever feel like you're doing something right for the wrong reasons?"

"Uh, I guess sometimes. Why?"

She looked away, out the window, but Wally could tell her eyes were a million miles away. "I, well, never mind, I was just asking."

"That's a strange thing to ask." He said, nudging her with his shoulder. Artemis, tough, guarded, aloof Artemis looked close to tears. The whole situation got uncomfortable. Those feelings M'gann had called him on, they were there and they were strong, but the other side of him screamed the opposite. Was he too proud to help her? "Hey," He said gently, testing the water. "What's wrong? What's _really_ wrong?"

She looked over at him warily. "I can't talk about it. There are so many people, so many voices…"

Wally looked to Robin, who was whispering in Zatanna's hair softly. M'gann and Cassie were lifting things and Kaldur and Superboy were helping out others in the street below. No one would notice. "Trust me." He whispered.

She looked confused, those light brows furrowing. "What-"

Before she could finish, he swooped her up in his arms, turning and running out of the room so fast that no one could even register it. Only Dr. Fate looked at him evenly, eyes shadowed behind the helmet. He carried her wedding style, with her arms wrapped around his neck. They were strong, muscles tight from standing behind a bow string for so long. As he ran, everything else was blurry except for her. The way her blonde hair, which smelled of coconut and leather blew into his face, his mouth and smacked into his goggles, seemed familiar and comfortable. Wally shook his head, focusing on not tripping as he ran. Artemis was messing with his head like nothing he had ever felt before. She had wiggled her way in, shot him with an arrow that left her such an integral part of him. And it drove him insane. Metropolis faded away, cities passed in the blink of an eye. He had never run so fast before.

"Where are we going?" Her voice faded with the wind.

Soon, bright city lights came and went, and dust flew past his boots. His arms ached, his legs ached, but he kept running. He ran until only the sky was above them and stars kissed her cheeks. He set her down, doubling over from the strain on his body. He was glad she was too preoccupied to see him gagging in the dirt. They were on a small hill, overlooking a lit city. From up here, the lights glittered below them and stars shone above, leaving them trapped in the middle.

"It's beautiful." She perched herself on the giant rock, feet dangling over the valley of lights. "Why did you bring me out here?"

Wally felt his cheeks get hot and turn red. "You looked upset."

She snorted. "Don't worry Baywatch; I can take care of myself."

He managed to drop himself beside her and open up the food compartment on his uniform. "You shouldn't have to all the time. It was rough, seeing the JL so defeated. I mean, Black Canary passing out? I've never seen that before."

Artemis just sat, swinging her legs and kicking the air. "You don't get what it's like Wally."

He shrugged. "I don't know what's going on with you, but the team needs you Artemis. They need your help."

She turned away. "Help." She muttered to herself. "Take me home Wally." Her voice was closed and removed now. She stood and walked a couple feet away from him, back facing him.

"Are you-"

"Yes, Wally, I'm sure." She snapped.

He just sighed, going and lifting her up once again. "Can I ask where home is for you?"

"Just take me to the edge of Gotham City." She had shut him out again. That brief moment of vulnerability and openness had been swallowed once more into the hard shell she wore as a second skin.

Wally just nodded and ran, ran with slumped shoulders and a heavy mind. It was easy to be an egotistical jokester; it made situations like this void. Yeah, it was easier to be a callous jerk. He couldn't tell if it was the bumps in the road or if she was shaking, but Artemis's shoulders moved as if she was crying. No. Artemis wouldn't cry, would she? He was a science geek, a cut out nerd; he didn't have a lot of friends at school. It was hard to believe that confident Kid Flash was just your run of the mill science wiz, with a few geeks to discuss chemistry with and no one outside of his family that he could run at super speeds, even though he did always get out first in dodge ball. It's amazing what yellow spandex did for his confidence. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the city, buildings casting shadows over them.

"Thanks." Artemis said uncomfortably as she started towards the shadows. "But next time, brush your teeth dog breath." Then she was gone, sliding into the darkness like she had never even been there.

Wally shook his head, at first angry. He had carried her dead weight all the way from Metropolis, and she called him dog breath? Then it hit him, she had said next time. That meant they might do something like that again, and in a rush of excitement Wally almost jumped into an air. On such a cloud nine, he didn't hear the near silent footsteps or see the leering cat mask that appeared behind him. An arrow twanged, and a dart smacked his back, knocking him to the ground. He could run fast, but his mind was being cotton wrapped slowly and stuffed with a heavy sleep. As his eyes drifted shut, there was one thing he could think, one thought prominent in his head.

_Artemis._


	31. Chapter 30

**December 1****st****, 2012/ Gotham City, USA**

**Artemis**

She sagged against her houses doorway. She had to come home, if she could call this place home. She needed to get away. Had Zatanna heard what Klarion had said? Had the JL somehow heard through their stupor? If anyone found out what she was, it would all be over. Wally he had been uncharacteristically sweet, but would he be when he found out that she had been sent there to kill him, that she had trained her whole life to take down the Justice League and anyone who got in their way. She picked herself off of the dirty floor and managed to open the door, stumbling inside. The apartment was barely lit, but that nauseating smell was there. It lingered in the forefront, pounding in her head. "I know you're here, and I'm not in the mood." She set down her bow against the wall.

"You're no fun anymore. What happened to you?"

"What happened to you?" Artemis retorted.

Jade pushed herself off of a kitchen table chair, leaning against it casually. "I realized that I had to make a stand."

"You aren't fighting for dad, but you're still fighting for his cause. What a good stand you're making."

Jade laughed, barely visible in dark room. "I've joined with our darling father. He's helping me achieve things that work for my benefit. I don't like him, but he has what I want."

Artemis just frowned and looked away. "Get out of here. You left, remember? You shouldn't be here." She didn't have to see her face to know Jade was probably smirking at knowledge that her younger Crock didn't know. Head pounding, she picked up her bow and started to the room she had once shared with Jade.

"You might want to turn the lights on. I would hate for my little sister to trip." Jade said as Artemis passed the light switch.

She froze. "I'll take my chances."

Jade laughed. "Whose chances would you take?"

Shoulders heaving and teeth gritted at her sisters torturous game, her hand hovered above the light switch, flicking it angrily. Jade was still leaning on the table, her mask propped up in front of her. By her side, slumped in a kitchen chair, was Wally. She had been with him not even an hour before. He had left her at the edge of the city, and she had gone on to shoot a few crooks down before returning home around midnight. How could she have even gotten him? Didn't being the fastest kid on Earth mean anything anymore? "Is he..?"

"Dead? No. Don't forget, _Arty_, Dad wants you to kill Kid Flash."

"What do you want?"

"It's not what I want, it's what he wants." She reached into the top of her dress, pulling a small device from her cleavage. Disgusting, Artemis thought. She tossed the object and Artemis easily caught it. It was a phone, and a video call was already in progress.

Her heart sunk, this had to be some kind of a nightmare. She knew she had always walked a fine line, but could things really get bad so fast? Her team, the people she almost could secretly call her friends, were all hog tied and thrown on the floor in a sort of warehouse. Everyone except Wally, and he was with Jade. "Let them go." She said, voice shaking.

"Why would I do that?" Her father almost taunted.

In that second, she decided to sever it, kill the fear that she had always harbored towards her father. She wouldn't live for anyone but herself. "I will find you." She managed to spit out. "I will find you and I will run an arrow right into your heart. It'll pierce, but it won't kill. You will sit there in agony and when you beg for it to end; I will leave you looking like a test dummy. Let my friends go."

Sportsmaster was silent for a second, then he smiled, but it was as cold and calculating as a snakes. "The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? Oh well, I'll see you soon. Don't forget your bow." The video clicked off before Artemis could get another word in edgewise.

Had the team been awake? Had they heard his remarks? It was all over. She turned back to Cheshire, Jade, with flashing eyes. "Where is he?"

"He wanted a building that would mean something to you Artemis. Think about it." She smiled.

Her head reeled. There was so much, yet such little time. Things clicked. "That old warehouse, the one where mom's legs…"

"That's the one. You don't have much time."

Artemis grabbed her bow and slung it over her shoulder. "Probably makes you happy, doesn't it?"

Jade shrugged her green clad shoulders. "I only watch out for family, everyone else is far game." She nudged Wally lightly.

"What did you do to him?"

The assassin smiled. "It was just a little dart to the back. Who knew a comment like 'brush your teeth next time dog breath' could make a guy so oblivious."

It was her fault. He hadn't been paying attention because of her. She almost hadn't said it, he had been so sweet, but the vulnerability she had shown scared her, and that snarky remark was her way of trying to cover it. Now look at Wally. "Let him go." She ordered.

Her sister smiled and walked behind Wally, long claws wrapping around his slumped shoulders seductively. "Let me guess, you'll run your little arrows through me? Sorry sis, but this is the big leagues now. Besides, why stop the fun now?"

With one last smile, she tossed a small ball to the ground and smoke instantly filled the small apartment. Coughing, Artemis managed to pull her bow into position and swung it around. In the clearing light though, Jade was gone, and Wally with her. Left on the table was a pair of red goggles. Her hands shook as she gently picked them up. A billion sappy thoughts came into her head, but she pushed them out. Now, she had to focus. She didn't have time to wonder how he saw her through those stupid goggles. She shoved the goggles over her blonde ponytail, letting them hang around her neck. They were a little bit of extra incentive. She dove out the kitchen window, the fire escape worn under her boots. Shimmying and sliding, she rolled to the ground and looked around.

She might have been alone against her father and sister, but Gotham was her turf. She knew the way to the abandoned factory, where her father had often operated from. Her mother had loved the job, loved being a villain. She sure had made a personality flip since then. It all made since, why her father wanted her to kill Wally, and why it had to be in that building. Her father had never spoke of the incident, but Jade had been old enough to remember.

Huntress and Sportsmaster had been running a crucial gig, when the Flash had come, helping out Batman round up the mass of villains on the street at that time. There was a fight, and somehow Huntress had slipped and fell of scaffolding. It was a miracle she lived, and the loss of her legs was devastating. She had dropped from the crime scene and tried to raise Jade and Artemis, but it was too late. Sportsmaster had already made his mark. This was where he would make Flash pay for making him loose his accomplice. She could see it in his eyes; Paula Crock was now useless to him.

She felt sweat bead at her forehead, but she didn't stop until she reached the building. Climbing up the adjacent structure, she swung onto the roof and ducked through a ceiling hole into the warehouse. From her perch, she could see the team below her, with Sportsmaster pacing around them and Cheshire leaning against a wooden beam. Wally was completely wrapped in something, and Artemis knew her father had been preparing for this moment since the second her mother hit the cement. Whatever Wally was wrapped him would make him unable to vibrate through it. Cheshire had put her mask back on, and Sportsmaster's face was hidden too.

"Artemis." Jade practically sang. "There's no need to hide, we know you're here." She pushed herself off the beam and went around, kicking the team and they groaned and came too. Her heart thudded inside of her chest, threatening to break her rib cage.

"I can't break the rope!" She heard Cassie say. Artemis rolled her eyes. Cassie was wrapped in her own lasso again. It would be a good idea for the wonder girl to stop letting the bad guys get a hold of it.

"Artemis," Cheshire didn't sound as happy. "Let's not drag this out."

Unsteadily, she flipped off her perch and landed in a crouch in front of her family. She didn't make eye contact with the team. She couldn't make eye contact with them. "I warned you." She said.

Sportsmaster didn't seem fazed, though she couldn't see his face. "You can try to kill me, but there will be consequences." He warned.

In a lightning fast motion, Cheshire was next to Wally, a poison nail hovering near his cheek. He was still groggy, but understood enough to try and jerk away from the claw. "You're kind of cute." She whispered in his ear. "It's too bad you'll never get to be my brother in law."

Wally looked confused, his brows furrowing. "Artemis?" He asked.

She tried to remain standing. "You mean she didn't tell you? Go ahead, Arty, tell your little boyfriend." Jade pressed.

Had the circumstances been different, she would have snapped that Kid Freak was by no means her boyfriend, but at the moment she couldn't get a single word out. "I…"

"I know you thought you could disobey, but I warned you I would always find you. You've gotten too comfortable, too complacent. It's time to end that complacency." He looked towards her, waiting for her move. This was all a sick game to him. It all was. She had to play his game. She wasn't the only one at stake. Her bow wavered in her grasp. "You've trained all your life." Her father continued. "You've trained to kill the fastest moving object, to be able to shoot a grain of rice out of the sky. It's time to put that hard work to use."

She looked at Wally, his green eyes wide and still confused. "You made me join the team. You made me work with the Justice League. I've realized something; I've been doing the right thing by helping people, but for the wrong reasons. I'm not leaving that legacy. I'll go down first." She dropped her bow, holding a single arrow, poised towards her neck.

Jade laughed. "Suicide, murder and espionage? Our family reunions sure do pack a punch."

"What do you mean family reunions?" Wally asked.

Sportsmaster seemed to look straight at Artemis's eyes through his mask. "It's too late for you anyways. Why don't you tell your friends the truth, the real truth?"

Lips dry, she tried to speak. "Cheshire, she's my sister. Sportsmaster, he's my… my father."


	32. Chapter 31

_A/N:____Thanks for all the lovely reviews; they helped shape this chapter a lot quicker! There's still a lot to come, and I already have the rest of this story (the long rest) and a possible sequel laid out. Hopefully, it'll happen, if I start updating more. Anyways, thanks!_

**November 31****st****, 2012/ Gotham City, USA**

**Robin**

There had always been an aching suspicion about Artemis's upbringing, but he had never imagined it escalating to this. From where he was laying, he couldn't reach a Batarang or anything that would aid him. Zatanna was next to him, mouth taped shut to prevent any spells, not that she would anyways. Her eyes seemed dead, devastated. They had been planning for this, M'gann had tried to untie herself, but Jade had quickly set a fire next to her. He watched Artemis say the words, and they clicked into place. He wasn't surprised, but he had to take only one look at Wally to he see that he was absolutely devastated. Why didn't he see it from the start? He was trained to be a detective, find the bad guy, and one had been living with them all along. Artemis was pale, eyes wide and Robin could tell she was panicking inside.

"Hear that?" Cheshire purred into Wally's ear.

"It's not true, is it?" He seemed to implore her. Artemis just looked away.

"Now," Sportsmaster said. "It's time to put all your training to fruition Artemis."

Cheshire pulled Wally to his feet. "You've been fun to hang out with kiddo, but I'm afraid I like bigger boys."

Artemis locked eyes with Robin, and they didn't need a psychic link for Robin to know what she was thinking. _Help me_. She seemed to beg. He raised a brow and titled his head. Why would he help her? She narrowed her eyes, and he knew that she cared more about Wally then herself. Should he trust her? He knew the answer was probably not, but if he didn't, there was no chance that Wally would make it. He mouthed at her to buy time, and began to wiggle until he was directly behind Sportsmaster.

"I'm kind of disappointed, dad." Artemis said cockily. "I mean, I was trained to shoot the fastest moving object, and Wally here is all ties up. What kind of challenge is it?"

"Your ploys are interesting, Artemis. I know though that if I were to release the speedster, you would not shoot him down but aid his escape. You're good, but transparent."

"So, basically you wasted my entire life training for something I'll never get to do." She said coldly.

Sportsmaster paced, seemingly bored with Artemis. "Something you don't deserve to do. Stop wasting time, shoot the boy." He ordered.

Artemis locked eyes with Robin and he held up his tied wrists above his head. She pulled three arrows from her quiver, and Robin instantly recognized them. There was a regular arrow, one with tranquilizer darts, and a one that released fake fog. She loaded her bow. "Let's make this fun." She smiled. Jade pushed Wally to his knees, holding his head up. In rapid succession, Artemis fired the three arrows. The first hit Wally clean in the throat and he slumped over. The second released a cloud of smoke in the air and the third cut the ropes clean from Robin's wrist.

He easily flipped, pulling a Batarang from his utility belt and slicing his ankle ropes. He threw a few more to release the other members of the team. In the smoke, which had yet to dissipate, he narrowed his eyes to make out the forms of Cheshire and Sportsmaster. He could vaguely see Artemis and her father exchanging blows, and he crept towards the other assassin. Cheshire had her back to him, but he could see she was still prepared to fight. He charged towards her, smashing his fists into a central nervous system around her neck. She crumbled, but quickly jumped to her feet facing Robin. She pulled a knife from a strap on her thigh, and did a quick combination as she flipped and thrust at Robin. When Batman had first introduced him to weapons, Robin had instantly felt a connection with a Bo staff. It split in half, making for two electric charged sticks, as well as a long pole perfect for vaulting and fighting. He pulled the staff off his utility belt, rubbing the two ends of the halves to spark the blue electricity. He was fluid and fluent, and knew what to do.

"This is cute." She sneered. "But you know you're outmatched."

"Outmatched?" Robin launched himself over her, rolling and crouching before lunging. She went for him and he flipped the other way, jamming the ends of the Bo staff against her neck. She jerked and convulsed. Robin pulled the steaming staffs away, allowing Cheshire to fall to the ground. She wasn't dead; he couldn't do that to Artemis, even if the archer had been a double agent. He used his own ropes to tie her in the unbreakable knot that Batman had taught him. "What were you saying?" He smirked at her prone form.

The air was just about clear again, and he could see Wally still lying on the floor, still. He quickly rolled the speedster over and checked his pulse, which was beating faintly but steadily. Artemis had had to shoot Wally first, her father would have gotten to her before she could fire the other shots, and he was thankful she had only used a tranquilizer, only sending the arrow deep enough that he was only nicked, with the toxin barely in his blood stream. Wally had an abnormally fast metabolism, so usually a sedative like this would have already passed through his system, but Sportsmaster had most likely been equipping Artemis with Flash killing weapons since she was old enough to hold her bow.

"Dude, come on." Robin nudged Wally. "It's Robin, come on man."

The red head twitched his lips. Robin scowled; he never claimed that being friends with Kid Flash was easy. Were they friends again? This rhythm they had slipped into was familiar, but was it real? Artemis was barely holding up on the defensive, falling to the ground from the pressure of her father's exploding weapons. Sweat was dripping down her brow, and her skin was covered in bruises and small burn marks. Sportsmaster had set fire next to M'gann and Kaldur, and it was all Superboy and Cassie were doing all they could do to keep them alive. Zatanna was still catatonic on the floor.

"Wally, its Dick, and Artemis really needs you. I know she's actually a villain in disguise whose been trained to kill you, but she cares about you, a lot. I mean, she disobeyed her dad to keep you from dying. For once in your life, don't be a lazy smart ass and get up and help her. We can deal with the problem later, but she needs to be saved _now_."

Wally smirked, eyes still closed. "I never took you to be the inspirational type." Frowning, Dick whipped out his Bo staff, jerking Wally to a sitting position. "Take it easy," He whispered. "I have been drugged and betrayed above compare today." He snapped. His eyes dimmed at the word betray. Robin knew he would have to talk to Wally about all that had just happened, but now wasn't the time.

Wally's emerald eyes scanned the building, landing on Sportsmaster as he kicked aside Artemis's empty quiver and approached her. Mouth set in a grim line, he blurred at the man, knocking him over. Robin was quick behind him, delivering a blow that sent the criminals mask skidding across the floor. He looked at Robin with pure hate, and he was floored at the resemblance to Artemis. Why had he never noticed? On Artemis, the steely grey eyes were feisty and fierce, but Sportsmaster wore them cold and menacingly. Artemis was picking herself to her feet, taking advantage of her father being distracted by Robin. She fumbled with a broken arrow, holding it in shaking fingers. She raised her arm, driving the uneven shaft into her father's neck. He howled and spun, pulling a knife out of his pocket and driving it into Artemis's stomach before collapsing. The archer staggered back, hands clutching at her stomach and lips moving soundlessly. She yanked it out, blood gushing to the hard ground. Robin knew this floor had seen so much red that the crimson would never be washed out. She fell, crawling to her father and holding the knife above his heart as she trembled.

"Do it." He managed to cough, blood dripping from his lips. "Become even more like me."

Wally flashed over, grabbing her wrist. She instantly dropped it, the clanging ringing in the drafty building. She reached out to him, but he pulled away. "We'll get you help." He said, with a removed and distant tone. "That's what we owe you." He stood, brushing himself off and going to help the other. Artemis was a ragdoll on the floor, slowly losing more and more of her life to the concrete. Robin pulled bandages from his belt, wrapping her gently.

"Don't." She rasped. "Please, just let me die."

Robin tied the end of the bandage and checked her pulse. "Wally wouldn't like that."

"Wally hates me." She managed to choke out before going into a coughing fit.

"You did shoot him in the throat and lie about your life, but you also saved us. That's enough in my book."

She looked at him through fevered eyes. "I don't have anything left. Not a family and not Young Justice."

Robin froze, familiar emotions coursing through him. "One time I felt like that." He said, throat dry. "My parents are dead, Batman's a wall that I can't always relate to, and the first teams, my friends, were gone. Donna Troy was gone. But I'm here, aren't I? And I still try to do great things. You can too. I promise Artemis, I will make sure that the good you've done is not forgotten." Her eyes were closed now, breathing shallow, but her hand tightened around his own. The backup, which Kaldur had apparently called in, arrived and took Artemis on a stretcher, as well as Sportsmaster and Cheshire. The Flash was trying to console Wally, but he was stoic and Barry eventually gave up, going over to the other Leaguers. They were in a heated discussion.

"We agreed to protect this team, that the past wouldn't repeat itself!" Wonder Woman, the most passionate of the discussers, hissed. "How did this even happen Batman? Green Arrow, you said she was your niece."

Green Arrow looked dazed. "She is my niece."

Martian Manhunter stepped forward. "Oliver, may I have permission to scan your mind?" When he nodded, J'onn's eyes lit up. After a second, he shook his head. "There was a powerful psychic who tampered in the Green Arrow's mind. He truly believes Artemis Crock is related to him. I will work with him to try and unravel the deception." He said.

"She needs to be locked in Belle Reeve with her father and sister." Barry said. "She tried to kill Wally."

"No." Robin was surprised at how commanding his voice was. "She took a knife to the gut because she didn't want Wally hurt. Manhunter, read my mind, show them all what happened."

"You dare stick up for her?" Diana roared. "I see her, and I wish I could inflict on her all the pain we Amazons have felt over the loss of Donna." She looked Robin dead in the eye. "I thought you cared for my sister."

Batman intervened, stepping in front of the furious princess and laying a hand on her arm, soothing her. "We can't get past the barriers in Wally's mind to show what happened, but like my partner I believe that she was just a pawn in her father's game, and perhaps she deserves a second chance. Let's go to the hospital, and we'll make our conclusion." The Leaguers nodded and dispersed, Wonder Woman flying so fast that she created a sonic boom when she flew away.

"Why did you back her?" Robin asked, in reference to the fact that his mentor had a reason for everything.

"Why did you back her is the real question." Batman said stoically, but Robin could tell he already knew why. "Go on, Wally needs you." The Dark Knight ordered. Robin made his way to Wally, who stood with fists clenched.

"She was a traitor." He said, voice cracking in anger. "Can you believe that? I trusted her and worked with her, and she wanted to drive an arrow into me." He laughed bitterly.

"That's not Artemis. That's the Artemis her father tried to create. The real Artemis cares about you. You care about her too."

"She's not worth caring about." Wally said harshly.

Robin felt his jaw tighten. "No? Why aren't you grateful you have someone to carry about? Loss is so simple. Y can turn around, and she'll be gone, and you'll wonder how someone like that got away. I lost Donna, and now you're giving up Artemis. You don't meet a lot of people who make you feel like that." He turned, done with the red head for now.


	33. Chapter 32

_A/N: Hey, remember me? Well, things have been hard at home, with the death of my grandpa to lung cancer, but that's no reason to slack. So, here we are. And WonderGirl556, I swear I'll give you stuff to Beta soon. Thanks. _

**December 3****rd****, 2012/ Gotham City Hospital**

**Wonder Girl**

Diana paced in front of her like a caged animal, footsteps literally creating dents in the Watchtower floor. The entire Justice League and the Young Justice team had been shown Artemis's memories by J'onn, and now they were simply waiting. One by one, each hero had cast their vote on Artemis's future. Dr. Fate had again spoken of a storm that was coming, and predicted Artemis would be needed.

There had been two options presented, one being that Artemis would be mind wiped and released to Belle Reeve, and the other that she would be allowed to work with the team under close monitoring until a January 1st trial. Cassie knew that Diana had voted towards her incarnation, but Cassie had secretly voted for the latter. She liked Artemis, and while she had almost done something terrible, she deserved a second chance. Cassie liked to believe that people could be more than their circumstances, and that held true here.

Batman came out of the room after a while to collect Diana, and they took her to where Superman was waiting for them. Robin pushed out, looking haggard.

"Is there a consensus?" Cassie asked.

He dropped into the chair behind her, ignoring her. "You know what make this think of? What this constantly reminds me above?" Cassie pursed her lips, a sinking feeling in her gut. Robin didn't give her time to answer. "We need to start searching. We don't have a lot of time left."

Cassie nodded and they both stood. "Let's go back to the Harbor; we'll try to figure it out." She said in an attempt to ease Robin.

He still seemed agitated, but nodded, gesturing towards the door that Batman had just led Diana into. The entire league was in a circle, talking quietly. Superman's head instantly perked up when he saw them enter, his super senses as keen as ever. He nodded towards Batman, who turned to face them, waiting silently.

"Have you made a decision?" Robin asked his mentor.

The Flash seemed uneasy. "Actually we-"

"-Do not tell them anything." Diana hissed.

Batman frowned, "This is their teammate, and they deserve to know. We have reached a tie. The only person left to vote is the Kid Flash."

Cassie looked around. "Well, where is he?"

"I'm right here." Appearing almost of nowhere in a fashion that would have made Batman proud, Wally came closer to the heroes. "I have my vote." He said, eyes guarded and closed.

"Are you sure?" Flash asked gently. "Maybe you should think it over some more."

"No." Wally's voice was firm. "A friend gave me some advice." Barry nodded and led him away from the group.

"We're going back to the Harbor," Cassie told Diana. "Let us know when there's an answer. We do deserve to know, we were the most effected."

Diana looked weary, more tired than Cassie had ever seen her. "You get it, right?" The older Amazon asked. "To lose Donna, to lose a sister, was enough, but Artemis puts the entire team at risk."

Cassie didn't know what to do, to fight for her friend or sympathize with her mentor. "We all knew getting into this that there would be risks. I'll see you later Diana." She said, turning to walk away.

Robin quickly fell into step beside her. "Is she okay?" He asked in reference to Diana.

Cassie shrugged. "Not really, but she's tough. I mean, come on, she's Wonder Woman. She'll cope eventually."

Robin nodded and held the door open for her, pausing at the Zeta Tubes. "We won't find anything at the Harbor."

"Where else would we look? The entire Watchtower is being upgraded security wise. After Artemis got past the entire Justice League, it won't be easy to do anything around here for a while."

Robin smiled mischievously. "Well, there is one other face."

Cassie paled. "No. No one has ever been in there except Batman and the Justice Leaguers. If we got caught breaking and entering…" She shuddered.

Robin just laughed. "Lighten up, Cass. It's not breaking and entering, I live there. Besides, Batman will be here until this all gets sorted out, and then will most likely go straight to patrol."

Cassie narrowed her eyes while she thought. "It's not a big deal for you, but your Daddy Bats might not be so keen…"

"Again, he'll never know." Robin assured her. "Regardless, you can follow me or not. I guess it comes down to if you _really _want to find them." He pushed the button and the tube scanned him, and in a flash of blue light he was gone.

Cassie steeled herself, putting her hand on the machine as well. In a blink of an eye, she found herself standing on a roof next to a large light.

"It's the Bat signal." Robin said, materializing from the shadows on the other side.

"Is it some kind of top secret entrance to the Batcave?"

Robin smiled impishly. "Of course not, but Batman's way too paranoid to actually have the Zeta tubes linked to the cave. This way, we can get there without revealing its location. Follow me." He turned, jumping easily off the side of the building.

Cassie looked down uneasily, she could fly, but Robin couldn't. In a neat flip, he hit the ground in a crouch. She easily floated down, following him as he threaded through shadows before pausing in the corner of an alley. It would be undetectable to everyone who didn't know where to look, but Robin slid through the cracks in a building, and a second later, a motorcycle roared to life.

"Hop on." Robin called over the idling engine.

"I could fly faster." Cassie stalled, trying to buy time.

"But this is so much more fun."

"Do I get a helmet?"

"I left my extra one in the cave, usually a deal breaker, but since your head would probably crack the concrete before it was even bruised, I think you can take your chances."

It was true; Cassie's powers would keep her safe. Sighing, she hopped on behind Robin, holding onto his lean waist. Normally, she would have been over the moon, but recently she had felt nothing but kinship towards the Boy Wonder. As the zoomed through Gotham, she found herself wishing it was Kaldur she was clutching, and not Robin. The more she thought, the angrier she got. Maybe it had been stupid to kiss Kaldur, but she hadn't regretted the kiss. She did regret what happened after though. The taste of salt on his lips… the sun golden on her skin… it was heavenly. But he had muttered Tula's name. Part of her wished she could have played it off, but it had been too hard, the tears too close to falling from her eyes.

"Cass." Robin said, voice only heard because Cassie had super hearing. "You okay back there? You're crushing my ribcage."

Blushing, she released her grip, the padded torso taking a gaping breath. Robin led her out of the city and down a deserted dirt road. Before them, towered a huge stone wall. Robin paid it no heed and continued to drive towards it. When they were a few mere feet away, he pushed a button on his bike and a section of the wall slid open smoothly and soundless. They thundered into the dark tunnel, Robin slamming on the brakes on a small metal square. The floor quaked beneath the bike and began to descend into the black.

It soon stopped, a large cavern coming into view. Made from rock and stove, the walls disappeared into the fog that hung over the room, no ceiling in site. Along the walls, many tunnels branched out in darkness. Robin hopped off the bike, and after a second Cassie did to. The floor panel retracted, taking the bike with it. He tossed his helmet onto one of the many tables, just another object on the cluttered spaces. Though there was items everywhere, Cassie knew that not one thing was out of place. There were three tubes against the wall, one with a version of Batman's, one with a Robin costume and one with a female costume. She frowned, she had never heard of a female bat. Robin had settled in a chair in front of a large screen covered wall. The clicking of his keyboard blended in with the drip of rain water and occasional shriek of a bat.

"This is…homey." She said as she leaned against the chair Robin was in.

"Is that the word?" He asked, not turning his eyes from the screen as he continued to break firewall after firewall. "Here we go."

The screen flashed green and eight pictures appeared on the screen. He clicked on the first, and the picture magnified. It was of a blonde girl with narrowed blue eyes and full lips.

"Cissie King-Jones, also known as Arrowette," Robin read. "She was an Olympic level archer."

"Like Artemis." Cassie pondered. "I guess it would make sense that they would try to recreate the old team."

Robin remained impassive. "Cissie was incredible, if not reluctant at what she did. I think she did it because her mom was the first Arrowette."

"Is there any way that she could have led to what happened? Maybe she leaked information? She asked, drumming her fingers against the black material.

"No." Robin's voice was surprisingly strong. "She was stubborn, but she and Bart had something. She wouldn't have risked him getting hurt."

Cassie didn't even say anything about how the archers and speedsters on the team tended to hook up. "Then look up Bart." She directed.

Robin exited out Arrowette and clicked the picture of a goofy looking red head. "Bart Allen, aka Impulse."

Cassie nodded. "I remember hearing about him. Didn't he like time travel from the future? He's Barry's grandkid."

"Right, he was pretty immature, but he was fast, faster than Wally I think. There was no way he would have done anything to hurt the team, or Cissie." He clicked out and onto another, of a teenaged girl who didn't seem to be all there-literally. "This is Greta Hayes, alias Secret. Her brother, a murderer named Harm, killed her. She wanted to be put to rest after this mission, much to the dismay of Lagoon Boy." A green reptile like human popped up. "La'gaan came from Atlantis, but seemed pretty clear to me. He was semi obnoxious and liked to joke, but he wouldn't hurt anyone."

Cassie groaned in frustration. "Who else is there?"

"Empress, but she was the one who tried to warn us. The other side hadn't been right, she said. And then Lobo."

A brute that set Cassie on edge appeared. "He seems sketchy."

"To say the least," Robin agreed with a chuckle. "We should start with him."

"Robin?" A female voice called out from somewhere in the cave.

Robin became rigid. "Shit. Here, Cassie, follow me." He flipped over the chair, leading her to a nook, where they wedged themselves in. "Shh." He ordered.

"I saw your bike, I know your home." The voice called again. "Did you finally get sick of your stuck up new friends?" There was laughter then silence. Cassie figured they were safe when a face suddenly dropped in front of hers, upside down. Easily flipping, a girl straightened in front of the two. "Found you." She crossed her arms over the chest.

In a black costume with yellow accents and a yellow lined cape, she was a female version of Batman, teenaged. Long red hair tumbled out of her cowl, and her emerald green eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

"Hey, I didn't think you would be here." Robin sounded nervous.

"I didn't think you would bring a friend home." She hissed.

"I'm Wonder Girl." Cassie waved lamely.

"Also known as Cassandra Sandsmark, child of Zeus and an Amazon. I know who you are." The batgirl replied casually.

Robin cleared his throat. "And this know it all is Batgirl, who's supposed to be on patrol. Why aren't you on patrol again?"

"Because, I was worried about you, Batman told me about what happened."

Cassie couldn't help but arch a brow at her sincerity, the funny smiles on their faces as they stood a little too close together. What about Zatanna? Cassie couldn't even begin to figure it out.

"I'm fine, really. Can you do me a favor and not tell Batman about this?"

She smirked. "Why, Boy Blunder, are you willing to be in my debt?"

"I wouldn't push it Fatgirl. Batman was wondering who took the Batmobile out on a joy ride."

Groaning, she consented. "Fine," She moaned. "But keep things PG in here."

She turned to walk away, but Robin rushed over, grabbing her arm and whispering in her ear. She smirked a little and whispered something back. Robin frowned and seemed to say no, but Batgirl didn't stop smiling. Finally, he consented and leaned in, lips brushing her cheek. She winked and left Robin and Cassie once more.

"So, I'm guessing you don't want me to tell Zee about that?" Cassie asked as they went back to the computer.

"Batgirl's… no one."

"Didn't seem like no one." Cassie sang.

"Listen," Robin sighed. "I'm obviously not ready for a relationship yet, as I'm leading on Zee and Batgirl. They're both great, but I can't be happy and make a choice yet."

"Until you find Donna?" Cassie asked. "You can't move on."

"We were dating, would it be cheating if I was with someone else? You know, since we don't know if she's dead or not."

"We're going to find her. So, who is Lobo?" Cassie asked, changing the subject partly out of loyalty for Zatanna and partly because she was uncomfortable.

Robin slumped back. "We might be here all night."

Cassie sighed at what had to be hundreds of files and plopped onto the floor. "Hoorah,"


	34. Chapter 33

**December 5****th****, 2012/ Project Cadmus**

**Superboy**

"I cannot believe you talked me into this."

M'gann turned around to look at Superboy, a faint smiled wavering on her lips. "Oh, come on Conner. Isn't this what you want?"

Superboy looked away, still in awe of the fact that he had a name. Not even that he had a name, but one that was singularly his, and his alone. It didn't hurt that M'gann gave it to him either. M'gann was… special. Like him, she was new at this game and still trying to find her place. Only, Circe hadn't whispered a threatening prediction in her ear. At least, not that he knew of. That was part of the reason why he had come here. They had both been in the Harbor, when M'gann had blurted that they should go to Cadmus. Superboy had to agree with what M'gann had said, after the whole Artemis thing he was more than curious as to who he was. Sure, he was a Cadmus clone, but there had to be more to him. He tried to remember that as the worries began to gnaw at him further.

"Uh, yeah, it is. What I want." He said, wondering for the umpteenth time why he couldn't be good with words.

She nodded and continued to lead him down the elevator shaft. M'gann was simply floating, using her telekinesis to levitate Superboy with her. They stopped at the lowest floor. Superboy didn't remember his rescue by the Justice League, but this place was giving him an off vibe, like he didn't belong here, at least not anymore. M'gann's eyes glowed like lanterns in the darkness as she pried the door open with her mind.

"What about cameras?" Superboy whispered.

Her eyes flashed once more and there were slight popping sounds up and down the hallway. "There shouldn't be a problem anymore."

They found themselves in a dark red tunnel, almost like some giant animal had eaten them alive. Superboy could almost hear its pulsing heart- if it had one. "The genomorphs," He muttered. "They sense me." They were familiar, reaching out to him and brushing his mind. He was afraid. He wouldn't admit it, especially not to M'gann, but he was afraid someone would pop out and put him in a pod, try to brainwash him again. "What are we looking for exactly?" He asked.

M'gann cocked her head. "I got a strong urge to come down here." She said, paling. "It's like someone was telling me…" She paused and her eyes glazed. She started to tremble and Superboy grabbed a limp hand. "They're in my head." She whispered.

"Who, who's in your head?" He grabbed her and shook her shoulders, trying to get a response. "M'gann?"

"Psimon says sleep." An eerie voice echoed around them.

M'gann instantly collapsed and Superboy caught her, whirling in a circle to see the hallway was empty. "Who are you? What have you done?" He shouted. "How did you get into her head?"

"The Martian is strong," The voice chuckled. "But she is also naive and unprepared. Perhaps if she was full strength she could have subdued me sooner."

A figure appeared, gliding down from the other end of tunnel. Dressed in a brown pair of pants and shirt, a dark brown hood covered his face. "Hello Project Kr." He said, with a dead glee hiding under the monotone of his voice.

"Don't call me that!" Superboy yelled in rage. He was glad he was still holding M'gann, or he would have attacked the stranger already.

"Psimon says freeze." The man hissed, Superboy thought it was a male at least, and Superboy found himself immobile. His arms locked to his side, sending M'gann crashing to the ground. "That's better. We wouldn't want you to get angry and do anything you would regret. Especially not on a day like this." He said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Superboy asked, finding his mouth to still be functional.

"You're homecoming." The male, who Superboy figured was called Psimon, hissed. "There are many people for you to meet." He laughed.

"How about your father?" A deep voice boomed from the darkness. Superboy's mind reeled. How was this possible? He couldn't be- there was no way that he…

A bald man in a pressed pinstriped suit and red tie appeared beside Psimon. He smiled, but it was cruel and devoid of joy. More like Superboy was an object he was considering buying. Superboy had seen him on the news, watched as Superman tangled with him repeatedly. Superman was his idol, Lex Luthor his archenemy. It had programed into him to hate him once he had developed his own opinions.

"Hello son."

**XXX**

Superboy wasn't sure how it had happened, but he had somehow ended up in a pod again. Across from him, cuffed to a pod, was M'gann as well. She was slumped over, but Superboy could make out the faint beat of her heart. Sitting between them was Luthor, looking calm as he leaned back and folded his hands over his chest.

"Project Kr." He said evenly.

"Luthor." Superboy managed to get out, venom mixing with his words. "You are not my father. Superman is."

"No," He chuckled. "Not entirely. Kryptonian DNA is too unstable is survive a cloning procedure. We've had many failed experiments."

Superboy's fingers twitched at the subtle cruelty in his voice. He could have been like these failed experiments, just an accident. But he wasn't, and he had to fight for them.

"I'm going to snap your neck." He spat.

Luthor laughed. "No, no you're not. I'm keeping Psimon nearby just to ensure." He rubbed his hands together. "Dr. Donovan? We're ready for you."

A greasy looking man with oily black hair and a short stature appeared. His glasses sat skewed on his face. "Mr. Luthor." He nodded.

"Project-Kr, I would like you to meet Dabney Donovan. Dr. Donovan is one of Cadmus' top scientists. He needs to unlock your genetic code, figure out why you aren't achieving your full potential."

Conner's face twisted. "With your DNA in me, it's no wonder I can't do anything good."

Luthor shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. "You're quick. I can respect that. Yes, I am part of your DNA, but Superman is as well. We were at first thrilled with you, but recently new projects have surpassed you."

Recent… Conner's heart wretched. They were still doing this. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Your impromptu visit to Cadmus has been in planning since you escaped. When Cheshire and Sportsmaster dealt with the team, we had the assassin inject a drug into your little girlfriend. It was the only way we could dull someone of her potential. It made it easier for Psimon to telepathically suggest for her to bring you here." He paused. "She performed wonderfully, no?"

"If you hurt her, I swear I'll-"

"Be concerned about yourself." Luthor warned coldly. "In a world like this, watch your own back, because the moment you turn to save someone else's is when you're vulnerable."

"Yes, yes, yes." Dr. Donovan shifted. "Can we get to it, sir?"

Luthor didn't even meet the grotesque man's eyes. "Of course, Doctor. Why don't you tell the young clone the plan?"

"You manage to run above average, jump to extraordinary heights, advanced senses and have super strength and near invulnerability. However, we would like to increase your power load, so we'll be experimenting to see if we can bring anything else out."

He loped over to a desk of wires and monitors that were situated next to M'gann. He typed something rapidly and Superboy realized that there were deep grouts in the ground, connecting him and M'gann as they lit up. A tube coming out of her pod began to fill with a thick black liquid and her back arched as if she was being electrocuted.

"Step one was successful, sir." Desmond said, gleefully looking at M'gann, who was jerking and shaking. "The genetic information has been successfully extracted. Step two is now in progress."

Superboy felt his back arch as what had to be hundreds of needles sunk into his skin. They were special, kryptonite fused, the only way they could pierce his flesh. His breath hitched in his body, and he couldn't breathe. He was paralyzed actually, as M'gann's stolen DNA entered him. After what felt like an eternity, it stopped.

"Step Two is complete." Donovan said. "The DNA has successfully been injected. Now, we can only wait to see if it bonds with the Kryptonian DNA."

Lex nodded, pulling himself to his feet. He ran a hand down his already smooth suit. "Make your father proud." He nodded at Superboy before the world faded as a sharp pain drove into his skull.

**XXX**

When he came to, the world was blurry. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and his mouth was dry and tinny as if he had been electrocuted. His vision snapped into place, revealing a tall gray genomorph. It stood on the other side of the indestructible glass, gazing at him with glassy red eyes.

"_Hello Brother." _Its voice rang in Superboy's head although its lips did not move. Superboy's spine prickled, this feeling of others in his mind was an honor he reserved for M'gann.

M'gann.

He panicked briefly, remembering the state he had last seen her in. He tried to tense his muscles, break out of the pod to no avail.

"_Be calm, Brother."_ The genomorph assured him. _"She lives on."_

It slowly ambled over to the monitors, typing in a long stream of letters. There was a hiss and Superboy's pod opened. He caught himself and managed to shakily jump to his feet, head reeling. "You aren't supposed to be helping me, are you?" He asked.

The genomorph looked at him, cocking his head. "I am not. But you are needed, Conner."

Superboy was so surprised that he knew his name that he didn't even register that the conversation had switched from telepathy to out loud. "What am I supposed to do?

"You must be the genomorphs champion, fight for us who have no voice." He paused. "You are our only hope, the only chance."

"What can I do?"

"Liberate us. Use your abilities."

"I can't just release a horde of genomorphs on the world!"

The genomorph nodded. "Yes, yes. But you can stop the Light from further using us to their advantage. Here," He held out a slip of paper that Superboy hadn't even seen him produce. "You know where to go."

Superboy nodded slowly. "I think I do." He looked to M'gann, still slumped in her pod. "Can you release her?"

The genomorph nodded, and M'gann fell into Superboys' arms. Her brows furrowed, and lips twitched. He was half tempted to kiss her, but suddenly her eyes snapped open, pupils dilated.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head, grabbing Superboy's neck so that she could pull herself into something reminiscent of a sitting position. "I think so, my heads killing me." She looked at him for a second, blushing at the close contact. "You can set me down." She muttered.

He obliged, instantly feeling naked. "Do you know what happened?"

She frowned for a moment. "I don't really remember since we got captured by Cheshire. I felt something sharp, and then everything got sluggish. I don't know, I kept thinking I had to take you here." She looked devastated. "I'm so sorry, this is my entire fault. I don't know what came over me."

"Psimon." Superboy growled. "He was in your head. It's okay the genomorph…" Superboy looked up, but the genomorph was gone. "…Is gone, but we have one more thing to do here."

M'gann nodded and followed him, as he led the way through the tunnels. "How do you know where to go?" She asked.

"I honestly don't know." Superboy frowned. "I think the genomorph is giving me directions." He made a sharp left.

"Conner," M'gann was quiet. "What did they do to you? To us I mean, in those pods?"

"I don't know. Something about fusing some of your genes with mine."

"But I'm a Martian, and you're a Kryptonian/human hybrid. It should be impossible."

"With Cadmus, I have no idea."

He stopped in front of section of wall, eyes narrowed. "We need to get through here. What I'm supposed to find is behind this wall."

"Um… you need to go in a wall?"

Conner glared at the space, almost as if waiting for his x-ray vision to kick in. "After me, they aren't taking any chances. Can you density shift?"

M'gann looked nervous. "I-I don't know. Want me to try?"

Conner nodded and she took a deep breath, tentatively reaching towards the wall. Her hand rested on the smooth surface for a second, than slowly sunk in. She grinned and continued to phase though, until she was gone entirely. After a moment, she tumbled back out, eyes wide.

"Y-you need to see this." She said shakily, climbing to her feet. "I'm going to get you through, there's a computer on the other side to grant access."

She once again shifted through, and a second later the wall seemed to look transparent. Superboy stepped through, finding M'gann standing in front of a giant pod. It was frosted, unlike ones Superboy had ever seen, so that there was nothing visible on it. Printed in black block letters was _"Project-Kar"._

"Is that?"

M'gann pursed her lips. "I think so. Should we open it?"

Superboy walked over to monitors, and typed in a code the genomorph had handed him on the paper slip. After a second, there was a low hiss and the pod opened, frosted glass sliding away. The first thing Superboy heard was M'gann's gasp, but he couldn't pay attention to her, only was in that pod. There was a moan and blue eyes as bright as his snapped open, making contact.

Then, faster than Superboy could move, the newest Cadmus experiment had him on his back.

**A/N: Anyone remember me? Whoa, it's been awhile, and YJ is on ANOTHER hiatus. Ugh, they love to mess with us. Can anyone guess what ability Superboy might be developing after the little experiment? I always thought it was a little random that he had this ability in the comics, but… oh well; now it's here too! This story is an AU, and the character, who we'll call Project Kar, is in the comics. They came up with a new origin for Artemis, and it is amazing, so while I'm not claiming this is half as good, it's my own twist. Expect an update soon! Oh, hey, you should review too. (:**

**-END LONG AUTHOR NOTE-**


	35. Chapter 34

**December 5****th****, 2012/ Project Cadmus**

**Miss Martian**

M'gann quickly rushed into action, eyes glowing white. Conner was on his back, the Cadmus experiment straddling him as it landed blow after blow. When the pod first opened, M'gann had been in shock. Laying there had been a figure in the skintight white body suit Conner had been found in, only this one was distinctively female. Long blonde hair fell past her shoulders, and she almost seemed to be asleep. Then, her eyes had snapped open, with her promptly attacking Superboy. M'gann lifted her hands, raising the enraged Cadmus project off of Superboy, who leapt to his feet.

"_I'm going to kill you."_ She screamed mentally, body thrashing and showing more emotion than Superboy had at first. Careful to not let her know that she hadn't read her mind, M'gann listened to her internal rant. _"You trapped me in a pod, and I am going to break every bone in your body."_

Superboy was looking like he was going to act aggressively, so M'gann quickly rushed between them. _"We are friends."_ She said gently. _"We are here to save you."_

The enraged blonde paused for a moment, pupils dilating less. _"You are a…friend?" _

M'gann smiled. _"Yes, I am M'gann, and this is Conner. He's like you, he's from here."_

The blonde shook her head. _"I-I am not from here."_

"_I'm going to let you down, stay calm. We are going to get you out of here."_

The blonde nodded and M'gann lowered her to the ground. She actually saw Superboy's face and did a double take. She said something in a foreign language and cocked her head.

"What's she saying?" Superboy looked at M'gann.

The Martian laughed, face palming. "Hello Megan! She's speaking her native language. When I spoke to her, I guess I just adapted." She bit her lip. _"Here, when we use the mind link we can understand her."_

"_Kal, why are you here?" _The girl asked persistently.

"_Kal?" _Superboy grunted.

"_Yes, Kal- El of the House of-"_

Before she could finish, an army of armed men rushed in, led by Lex and Psimon. Lex smiled widely, taking a step forward. "Project Kr!" He boomed. "I see you've met Project Kar." Project Kar spat something in her own language, but Lex just ignored her. "It is nice to know that she's not a vegetable after her time in a pod."

Even if Kar couldn't understand him very well, she still read his tone and scowled, pretty features twisting into disgust.

"You failed Luthor. Project Kar doesn't even speak English. Maybe your genomorphs aren't as good as you thought." Superboy growled.

"The genomorphs are fine." Luthor remarked casually, eyes briefly flickering to the armed men. "Project Kar never learned to speak English because Kar is not a clone."

**XXX**

M'gann sputtered. It did make more sense that Kar was angry about her containment, if she wasn't created here than she must have been taken from somewhere. "What do you mean?"

Lex smirked, waving his hands so the guards lowered their weapons, but stayed at attention.

"Three years ago LexCorp scientists traced an abnormal reading in the night sky. A scientist tracked it to Gotham Bay, where what seemed to be a meteor crashed into the water. LexCorp uncovered a space shuttle of sorts, containing a female form in stasis."

"She was brought here to be kept under intense surveillance. Sadly, no clone ever made it, making Project Kar the only female from Krypton."

"Kar…" Project Kar muttered. "Kar Zor-El."

Lex nodded. "She's already so advanced."

"Why are you telling us? You know we'll tell the Justice League and you'll be arrested for keeping her locked up." M'gann asserted.

Lex clapped, and a smart looking woman in a grey dress suit and black heels pushed through the soldiers to stand by Psimon. With golden brown hair and dark eyes, she didn't seem special, but if she worked for Lex she had to be deadly.

"A true business man knows when to keep his cards close and when to lay them on the table." He turned to Superboy. "I have no secrets from you, Kr. I am your father after all."

M'gann narrowed her eyes, attempting to get into his mind but a sharp bite pushed her out. Psimon chuckled as she clutched her head, looking away from Luthor.

"You aren't my father." Superboy spat. "I don't have one, and I don't want one."

"Oh, my boy, the question isn't it you want one, but if you need one. You need me; Kr. Don't let those disabilities hold you back. Why, even today you made leaps and bounds of progress."

"Nothing happened in the experiment."

"So you think. Have you tried anything?"

Superboy looked confused. "Uh… no."

Luthor smiled. "Then how do you know you know? The ancient Greeks once practiced Skepticism, the belief that your senses can deceive you so no knowledge is absolute. How do you know that nothing happened Kr, when you didn't strive to make anything happen?"

"So what, I just will it to be?"

M'gann didn't know why she was allowing Conner to go along with it, but Luthor knew how to play a room, how to make them fall to his sway. The tempting allure of what she knew Superboy could learn overweighed the voice of reason that waned thinly at the back of her head.

Luthor looked to the women, who nodded once and held her hand out, not even flinching as it turned to a gun and allowed bullets to spray towards M'gann and Project Kar. Superboy and Kar were bulletproof, and M'gann didn't allow a bullet to get close enough to her. The Martian scoffed.

"Come on Luthor. What are you trying to do?"

The women with the gun arm sidestepped, grabbing the next of the closest guard and pulling him so that her arm wrapped around his neck, gun to the head. She looked to Luthor for an order.

"Mercy Graves, my lovely assistant, will personally lodge a bullet in the heads of every one of these men. Unless you can stop her from where you stand, Kr."

M'gann noticed Superboys nose twitch on his blank face. "Tell me why I should. You like to be persuasive. They're working for you, they're scum."

Luthor chuckled to himself. "Are they? Psimon can be quite… convincing."

Mercy used her free hands to pull the glasses off of one of the men, revealing a blank and glassy expression.

M'gann grit her teeth. _"We can't do anything without Luthor hurting an innocent."_

Luthor stepped aside and Mercy looked ready to fire. The gun clicked, when Mercy's arm jerked upwards as if pulled from an invisible string. The guns end began to crumble like an aluminum can, and a small explosion burst as her cyber limb was crushed. M'gann looked at it in horror. It wasn't her, she wasn't doing it. Ever since she almost killed Gizmo, she had been forced into meeting with J'onn for an hour a day to help suppress the White Martian side of her. But this wasn't her doing.

Superboy's eyes were opened wide as he stared blankly at Mercy's arm, which he held tightly to her chest. M'gann however jumped into action, using her telekinesis to send the 'guards' to the side of the room. She looked at Project Kar, who seemed to understand and lunged at Mercy. M'gann briefly noticed Luthor whisper something to Conner, but she was clueless as to what it was. M'gann herself was about to intervene when she felt all the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge.

"_Psimon says."_ That reedy voice whispered in her ear.

M'gann spun; blood on fire. _"You. You were in my head."_ She growled.

"_Does that bother you, Martian? All you do is invade others thoughts."_

"_Not like this."_ She snapped.

"_We are of like minds."_ Psimon hissed. _"We speak without speaking. We both know that the mind is where it counts. That the mind can make a person… or break them."_

At that moment, their eyes met across the chaos of the room. M'gann felt herself ripped from her body, left to stare at her frozen physical form for a second before everything faded away. She had only ever fought like this once, but it had been on Mars and the memory long repressed.

"There's no way you can win, Psimon." She yelled across the expanse.

Psimon chuckled. "I would not be so sure."

"You said yourself we are of like minds."

"But not like strengths."

Psimon smiled, and M'gann once more reflected that all the heroes here on Earth seemed to smile without joy behind it. It was the strangest thing. He loomed over her, the sheer force of his mind pushing her down, leaving her to feel like she was being crushed by the pressure at the bottom of the ocean.

"You're going to burn. Just like Mars did. Just like your family did."

With a scream, chocked full of years of pent up feelings, she thrust him back. She let her whole potential unleash on him, the pure force of her mind taking whatever shred of sanity he had and scrambling it into so many pieces it would never reconnect again. She was suddenly standing back in the room, the echo of Psimon's scream in her mind and his slumped body in front of her.

The room had been cleared, twisted metal smoldering everywhere. M'gann felt her hands shake, but steadied when she felt Conner grab it.

"You okay?"

She blinked, looking around. "The fight… Where did they all go?"

Conner scowled. "Luthor escaped. He left when Kar took down Mercy." He paused. "But are _you_ okay?"

"I-I don't know." She tried to breathe easily. "Go check on Psimon and then I can answer."

Conner's face fell. "M'gann."

"I'm so sorry!" Tears fell from her eyes. "He forced me to a point. He's not dead. I know he's not dead. Just… catatonic in a sense."

"Catatonic… M'gann, have you done this before?"

She looked away in shame. "It was a long time ago. Mars was a rough place to be, especially for a Whi-um, women. I was attacked' and it was an accident, but it prompted me to come here, to Earth. I guess nothing's changed after all."

Conner dropped her hand. "We need to get Project Kar to the Watchtower. I'll grab Psimon; just go make sure she's okay."

M'gann nodded and obeyed, pretending to not notice the fact that he wouldn't make eye contact.

**XXX**

There was a long silence. The League, minus Canary, all sat speechless around the large round table. M'gann fidgeted, keeping her distance from Superboy. Her Uncle J'onn's red eyes bore into her, though she tried to avoid them.

"Let me get this straight, Superboys from Superman _and _Luthor?" Flash clarified.

Conner only scowled so M'gann just nodded. "Correct. Kryptonian DNA is not stable enough to be recreated, but by adding Luther's genes reproduction was possible."

Flash looked majorly repulsed by the thought. Diana had her head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed.

"Why were you at Cadmus?"

M'gann was about to fess up to the fact that it was all her fault when Conner surprisingly interjected. "When Cheshire and Sportsmaster kidnapped us, M'gann was injected a specialized drug that weakened her abilities. Psimon was then able to get into her head without her knowing. He planted the idea in her mind that we should go to Cadmus, that way Luthor could make his improvements on me."

He sounded bitter, and M'gann couldn't blame him. He nodded at her to continue. "Superboy and I were both hooked into machines. Some of my DNA was taken and bound to his, resulting in a new ability based off of telekinesis."

J'onn nodded. "The new mutation of Superboy will be examined. What has become of Psimon, the telepath?"

"He is incapacitated." M'gann stated plainly, sending a wave of emotion to her Uncle. He nodded, agreeing silently to wait to press the matter until later. "Luthor however got away with Mercy Graves, his assistant, though she did receive a beating before by Project Kar."

Everyone once again lapsed into silence. That was the elephant in the room. Superman, at the head of the table, was emotionless. He hated Superboy, how did he feel about Kar?

"Kar is my cousin?" The man of steel asked in conformation.

"As far as we know." M'gann said. "We haven't really had a chance to look into things."

Superman pursed his lips. "If Luthor is responsible for kidnapping my cousin for three years, things will not be pretty."

He pushed out of his chair and swept from the room. Diana sighed, also standing. "I think this meeting is adjourned. J'onn, why don't you take Superboy and M'gann to check in Kar."

Everyone nodded, and J'onn appeared next to the two young heroes. He blankly began to lead them through the Watchtower to the room where Kar was. Inside, Canary was leaning against the wall and Kar seated on the bed, looking dejected. J'onn nodded and then left.

"_How are you?"_ M'gann asked.

"You don't need to do the freaky mind thing." Kar snapped. "I understand your language."

"She shows very quick knowledge processing skills." Canary nodded.

Kar just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "It's a Kryptonian thing."

"However, there are a few things that concern me." Canary continued. "For example, if Kar was a full blood Kryptonian like Superman, she should have all the same abilities as him and process the sun the same way. But she's more like Superboy."

"So she doesn't have all of the abilities?" Superboy asked. "Because I'm only like this because I'm a clone."

"I'm not a clone!" Kar yelled. "I know who I am. My parents sent me from Krypton when it exploded, just like they did to baby Kal. Only… he's not a baby anymore."

"No." Canary confirmed. "Are you trying to say that Clark, um Kal, was just a baby when he left Krypton but you were this age?"

She nodded. "Yes. I suppose that my ship got lost for a while."

Superboy's lip was pursed tightly as he said, "So about Kar's abilities, what can she do?"

Canary looked puzzled. "It's strange, it's almost as if you two were meant to complete each other."

"Which we weren't." Kar interjected.

"As I was saying," Canary shot her a look. "While Superboy can leap tall buildings, exhibit super strength, move at high speeds and be nearly invincible, we found Kar can do other things. While you were with the JL, we tested her various abilities and I'm surprised. She shows laser vision, heat ray, ice breath, flight and invulnerability."

"So she's not fast or strong?" Superboy asked.

"Well, stronger than a mortal, but not to Superman, or even Superboy's levels."

"It doesn't make any sense." M'gann finally spoke. "I mean, maybe she just hasn't adapted yet."

"She has a name!" Kar sounded incredulous. "You guys just stand there and talk about me like I'm a piece of meat. I can hear you!"

"I'm sorry."

M'gann looked over in surprise. Superboy was looking at Kar sadly, who didn't seem to grasp that he had just sympathized with her.

"When I first came from Cadmus, I felt like that. I didn't even have a name. I may be a clone, but I am related to you somehow, and I will help you out. I won't make you feel like I felt."

Kar looked shocked. "T-thank you."

"Now," Superboy held out a hand and pulled Kar to her feet. "What's your name."

"Kar Zor-El. Just call me…Kara." She decided with a smile. "Earth is so strange."

"It's okay." Superboy reassured her. "I'll have to show you No Signal, it helps."

Superboy looked at Canary, who came out of whatever shock induced state she was in. "Okay then, let's get you settled in…Kara. You'll have to stay at the Watchtower for a while, but we can get you some clothing. Maybe a pink superman shirt…"

She led them out. M'gann stood frozen. Superboy was the one person here who understood her. Hell, their genes were combined now! She couldn't just lose him to the blonde Kryptonian. No, she _wouldn't _lose him to her.

**A/N: Look at this quick update! Expect more, and expect it soon. Thanks to my lovely beta as always, and those who reviewed/favorite/followed. Let me know what you think!**

**-Star**


	36. Chapter 35

**December 7****th****, 2012/Gotham City Underground**

**Aqua Lad**

Kaldur kept against the wall, silently moving through the shadows. Dressed in his stealth outfit, his fingers kept twitching. Did he want to get in a fight? Maybe. It would have been a nice stress reliever if nothing else. Next to him, Zatanna kept her head down, trudging through the Gotham Underground wordlessly.

They had never been paired together before, but then again the group dynamic had never been like this either. Cassie had quickly partnered up with Robin, which he hadn't seemed to mind. That had left Zatanna, Robin's usual partner, with Kaldur. She didn't seem particularly thrilled with the switch, but refrained from complaining. The relationship with Wonder Girl and Robin was odd. They didn't seem to be more than friends, but acted secretive and removed. After the whole incident with Cassie, Kaldur figured it wasn't his place to ask.

He signaled to Zatanna, and the two stopped to crouch down. They had been traveling through the Gotham sewers for around a half hour, and all they had seen so far was rats. Batman had earlier reported that the Injustice Gang had been active and sent the team to investigate. Superboy had sat this one out, staying in the Watchtower to oversee something Canary called 'an interesting plot twist'. M'gann had teamed up with a rather sullen Wally and was currently on the other side of the underground network. There had been no sign of Artemis, her fate up in the air.

"_Miss Martian to Zatanna. Are you in position?" _M'ganns voice rang in their heads.

"_Kaldur and I currently in the East tunnel waiting for developments." _

"_Don't."_ Robin sounded unusually brusque. _"We're dealing with heavy hitters like Poison Ivy and Joker, we need to have the element of surprise and not risk them finding us first."_

"_Who's all there?"_ Kaldur asked.

"_We know Joker's there, meaning Harley Quinn won't be far behind. I think Count Vertigo, Poison Ivy and Black Atom are in the party as well."_ Robin recited. _"Good luck team."_

Zatanna gave Kaldur a tight smile and stood. "You ready?"

The Atlantean joined her, pale eyes scanning the near darkness. "I suppose I am. Let us go."

Zatanna faltered. "The Joker... is he as bad as Robin acts?"

Kaldur pursed his lips. "The Joker is psychotic Zatanna. I have never met him, but he kills for fun. I cannot imagine someone like him being any kind of good."

"Do you think Harley Quinn will be like how she was in the stimulator?"

Kaldur sighed, not wanting to waste any more time conversing. "I think she is dangerous. It would be nice to not underestimate."

"Wise choice." Kaldur heard the click of the gun before he even noticed her behind him. "You even start to say a spell, and fish boy loses his head." Harley giggled.

Suddenly, a vine of ivy shot out, launching into Zatanna's mouth. She struggled but it wrapped itself around her, binding her hands and keeping her mouth gagged.

"Do not make me hurt you." Kaldur growled.

"Oh, I'm not worried!" Harley seemed unfazed. "Red's gonna make sure you behave. Ain't that right?"

Kaldur felt a wave of pheromones hit him as Ivy's spores embedded into him. His knees felt weak, and when the green eyed goddess appeared, Zatanna choking on some plants didn't seem to be such a big deal. She smiled, small hand beckoning him.

"You'll be good for me, won't you?" She purred, smiling softly. "Why don't you give me a kiss?"

Kaldur stumbled forward, leaning in despite Zatanna's frantic sounds. She looked at him with those bright eyes and chuckled. Right before their lips brushed, Kaldur smirked. It all happened too fast for anyone to know what exactly occurred. Kaldur suddenly wasn't by Ivy, but by Zatanna, his swords cutting the ivy. She began reciting a spell as soon as she spit out the dead plants. Ivy shrieked, falling to the ground to gather the dead leaves to her chest. Harley held the gun out, not trembling, only when she shot the only thing that came out was a bang sign.

"My gun!" She shrieked at Zatanna, who just laughed.

"You," Ivy rasped at Kaldur. "How did you... you can't resist me!"

"Actually," Kaldur hacked off a branch growing close to him. "I prepared for you in advance Ivy."

She howled, launching a full scale attack at him. Kaldur dodged, using his swords to shred the flowers that came out him. Within moments, she was subdued. He wiped sweat from his brow.

"And Harley?"

"Just took off down that tunnel." Zatanna pointed.

"_Poison Ivy has been subdued."_ Kaldur reported.

"_Black Atom is a goner too."_ Cassie chirped in.

"_Consider Count Vertigo down for the count." _M'gann added.

"_Then let's take Joker and HQ down in the main tunnel."_ Robin ordered.

Kaldur nodded and the two set off in silence. Soon, they appeared in a large cavern. Facing away from them was a tall, lanky man in a ragged purple suit. Harley clung on his arm, an oversized hammer at her side. The shadows seemed to ripple opposite them, and Kaldur could almost make out Robins form. The green haired head cocked, turning slowly.

"Harley, is it just me, or do you smell a little birdie?"

Robin cackled from the shadows, a batarang embedding itself above Harley's head. She squealed and moved away, completing a series of flips. She giggled, swinging her hammer at Kaldur's head. He ducked, slashing with his sword but she moved the hammer away before he could hit it. She pulled a small cylinder off her belt, throwing it to the ground. Instantly, green smoke billowed out. Kaldur choked as the nauseous green gas invaded his lungs.

"_Joker Venom, try not to breathe it in." Robin ordered._

Feeling a maniacal laugh rising up in him, Kaldur rolled out of the way of Harley's oncoming attack. He crouched, catching sight of Robin and Jokers form through the cloud. The Boy Wonder was much more adept, but the Joker was holding his own. It wasn't until too late that Kaldur noticed Harley. She had another gun, and was aiming at Zatanna. Before he had time to react, Zatanna would be dead. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Before he could even move, an arrow came whizzing from one of the tunnels, knocking the gun from Harley's hand.

He turned, only to find a gas mask being put on his face. As he breathed in the sweet, and probably cure carrying air, his vision began to clear. Meeting a pair of stormy grey eyes and a green mask he managed to smile.

"Artemis?"

**A/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending. And, sorry for being such a slacker. Feel free to cyber bully me. Anyways, review? Please? Also, I'd like to know your guys opinions on two stories that I have and which you'd rather see.**

**Jason Todd comes back from the dead to kidnap Barbara Gordon (I always imagined him having a crush on her.) It's filled with protective Dick and set with the new team.**

**A Sherlock Holmes story with Dick and Wally. Wally is engaged to Linda Parks, but agrees to come out of retirement to solve one last case and gets caught up in murder, theft and a mysterious blonde archer. **

**You can vote in reviews. Thanks to Wondergirl556 and everyone who read through this long note. **


	37. Chapter 36

**December 7th, 2012/ Gotham City Underground**

**Zatanna**

Hearing a shrill scream, Zatanna spun. Harley's gun skidded across the floor, the red and black woman clutching at her hand. At that moment, Zatanna realized that she had most likely been Harley's target. Saying a quick spell to purify the air, she rushed Harley. Harley back flipped into one of the maintenance tunnels connecting to the cavern, leading Zatanna away from the others. Running to keep up, she barely managed to keep tailing Harley through the various twists and turns.

Turning a sharp right, she skidded to a stop before hitting a stone wall. Facing the dead end, she turned to find nothing but empty tunnel. A subtle beeping danced into her ears. Blood chilling, she slowly turned back to the gray wall. There, placed on the stone was a small bomb. Next to it was a smile painted in dripping red. The timer on the clock was steadily ticking. She wasn't Robin, she couldn't disarm a bomb.

Zatanna sprinted away back through the vacant tunnels. If she could contain the explosion, she could stop it from destroying the whole underground system. She furrowed her brow, biting her lip so hard it drew blood as she tried desperately to think of something. Finally, she raised her hands and blurted out a spell. A thick blue, clear barrier formed around the tunnel entrance that she had just exited. Hopefully, the magic would absorb the explosion and keep the tunnels from collapsing. Panting, she stopped to watch her work. That's when she noticed the person.

How could she have been so careless? Harley threw herself at the barrier, fists pounding against the magic wall. She had most likely been hiding in the shadows, waiting for Zatanna to explode. Her lips formed a perfect o, eyes wide behind the mask. Zatanna had never noticed how blue they were before. In her panic, her hat had fallen off, revealing fine, wispy blonde hair. _Do something!_ Her inner voice screamed. But she was shell shocked, a million things playing out in front of her. She started the counter spell, only to mess up a word.

"_esaeleR yelraH nniuQ morf-"_

The sheer sound of the explosion ripped the words from her mouth. The world around her vibrating, shaking as the magic absorbed the full blast. At first it seemed Harley was unharmed, and then a few pieces of debris fell from the ceiling. Before she could do anything, one struck the blonde temple. Shell shocked, she looked at the crumpled form on the ground.

_She's okay._ She tried to reassure herself. _It's probably just a concussion._ The blood kept spreading. _I'll remove the barrier and we can take her back to the Watchtower. _Then the tunnel collapsed.

Zatanna didn't realize she was screaming until she hit the ground on her knees. Somewhere in the madness, she said a spell and the wall dissolved into the air. Robin was by her, arm around her shoulder as he stood her up.

"Are you okay? What hurts?"

She shook her head rapidly, trying to get words out. "I-I'm f-fine. I was on the safe side of the barrier." She erupted into sobs.

"What happened?"

Unable to speak, she pointed. She felt Robin tense as soon as he the black gloved hand that was peeking from the rubble. He instantly let go of her, rushing to begin to pull chunks of stone and concrete off of Harley.

"Zatanna, go back to the main cavern. Send Wally here."

She just nodded, turning to run back through the tunnels. Wally looked over as soon as she breathlessly arrived. "Robin needs you."

"What happened?" Wally blurred over, noticing her tears.

"There was a bomb and Harley Quinn..."

Wally sped off before she could get another word. Not that she would have been able to finish the sentence. Joker was tied in a corner, Kaldur standing by him. M'gann and Cassie were most likely taking care of the defeated villain's, and then there was... Artemis?

The blonde cautiously walked over. "Listen, you probably don't want to hear anything from me, but I know what it's like to make a mistake so big you don't know what to do."

"You didn't kill anyone."

As soon as she admitted it, it seemed so much realer. She had killed Harley Quinn. Her father was a slave to Doctor Fate and Harley Quinn dead because she had failed. Harley may have been a murderer, but it wasn't up to her to decide. She wasn't the one to play judge, jury and executioner. A real hero would have been able to save Harley and hand her to the police. Maybe she wasn't a real hero after all.

Artemis looked like she was going to say more, but Zatanna walked away. She kept against the wall, trying not to cry. Her father, Harley... their faces blended into one in the back of her mind. Now she understood why Batman was so dark, so removed. Everyone had to find a way to cope; she would find a way too.

Then Wally came back. The Joker chortled, but then coughed. In Wally's arms was Harley, limp and mask less. Behind them Robin trailed somberly, holding the black leather piece and the jester hat. Zatanna couldn't breathe, just stood there and watched in as Wally laid her down, beginning to cover her body with a sheet. It looked like Robin closed her eyes, but the spinning sensation she was feeling was making her begin to see black spots. She had wanted this life, fought for it. Now she had to deal with it.

**A/N: Yes, it's super short. I just wasn't really pleased with it, but oh well. (: Another is on its way. Thank you for the favorites/follows, make sure to leave me a review! Speaking of reviews, thank you to all who reviewed. And to Wondergirl556. She's the best.**

**-Star**


	38. Chapter 37

**December 7****th****, 2012/Gotham City Underground**

**Kid Flash**

He noticed her.

He wasn't really surprised that he was so quick to see her, that his brain had so instantly honed onto her position and locked down. He couldn't look away even if he wanted to, and at the moment he definitely wanted to. Well, maybe not definitely.

Wally turned away, focusing at the white sheet in front of him. Underneath it was the distinct form of Harley Quinn. He had to wonder that if Sportsmaster had his way, would he have been just another body under a white sheet? But Sportsmaster hadn't had his way, and it was all because of her. Dammit. _Everything_ went back to her.

Dick's words floated in his head, again and again like the beat of a song that you can't seem to escape. _Loss is so simple. You can turn around and she'll be gone, and you'll wonder how someone like that got away._ That was why he had voted towards her staying, because he would never admit it, but she had him strung tighter than a bowstring. That first night he had been in shock. Angry, confused he had never felt so betrayed. But it hadn't lasted long.

"_Hey, Miss M?"_ He tried weakly to think about the Martian, hoping to send thoughts her way.

"_What's up Wally?"_ Came the instant reply.

"_Think you could set up a special link?"_ He asked uncertainly. _"You know, between Artemis and me?"_

"_Um... Sure." _After a second he was keenly aware of something pushing against the back of his mind, something new and foreign, but familiar. _"Here you go."_

"_Artemis..?"_ He watched her face carefully. For a second, he could swear that he saw something reminiscent of confusion flash through her eyes.

"_Wally?"_

"_Yeah, think we could go talk somewhere?"_

There was a pause.

"_Yeah, sure."_

He subtly nodded and Artemis followed him out of the caverns. When they finally reached a manhole, Wally allowed Artemis to climb up in front of him. The Gotham air was smoggy and polluted, but it was still a nice change from the humid stench of the sewers. He hadn't been to Gotham since he had dropped her off and met her family. It seemed a lot had changed for him since then.

"Why don't you get on my back? We'll find someplace private to talk."

"Are you sure?"

Wally nodded and allowed Artemis to mount him piggy back style before he started to run. It wasn't their usual position, but it worked. After a moment's thought, he decided to take Artemis to a place that he and Dick had found. It was in Gotham Park, a secluded spot shielded by oak trees. He set her down and she awkwardly stood in the center of the small area, leaving him to stare at the grass that wiggled from the wind.

"Wally, I-"

Before she could finish, he rushed towards her, grabbing her and pulling her close to him. It wasn't his first kiss, but it was the best he had ever had. Butterflies fluttered frantically in his stomach, but they were welcome. _Why hadn't he kissed her before? _Her lips were plump and soft, but fit around his. The arch of her back provided a perfect place for his hands to run up and down. Her hair was everywhere, but he didn't mind. It was their first kiss.

"I take it you forgive me?" She smirked when they paused to pant and brush foreheads.

"It hurt. Hell Artemis, it still does. Why couldn't you trust me?"

She snorted, dropping to the ground. Wally eased himself down beside her. "You saw how everyone reacted. I couldn't just say that my dad was some sadist criminal and my sister Cheshire. I actually had friends who liked me, and I couldn't lose that. Then I almost lost you."

Her bright eyes flickered to his for a second. "Artemis," He kept his voice low. "You will never lose me."

"Baywatch, I doubt I could lose you even if I wanted to."

"Hey, I am highly sought after. You should feel lucky Crockpot."

She lightly kissed him. "I'm sure Central is crawling with girls who want you."

"Promise not to shoot anyone?"

"No."

This time he kissed her. "That's my girl."

"Wally," Artemis looked at him, grabbing both his hands with her own and pulling so that they were facing each other. "When did this happen?"

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "We were lightly flirtatious at best, and then you hated me because I tried to kill you and lied about everything and now we're being all gross and mushy."

For a moment he was silent. Then he began to laugh, bending over with howling laughter. "God Artemis, you're perfect." He burst into another round of chuckles, leaving her to cross her arms while she waited. "Yeah, you hurt me; a lot. But I think I love you, and you can trust me. I never cared that you were Sportsmaster's daughter, that's why I voted for you to come back. I care that you're you. You're obnoxious, and stubborn and mean and you. That's what, who, I care about."

"I think I love you too Dog breath."

Wally last track of time after that. He kissed her until he couldn't feel his mouth, when his gut hurt with pleasure. He liked the way they were, how they would most likely be. Their relationship wouldn't be as gushy as his aunt and uncle's relationship maybe, but it would be theirs. Right then that was all he needed.

"Do you need to go home?" He finally asked after they had laid side by side, simply holding hands for a while.

"Home?" Artemis laughed. "I don't think I have one. I mean, how can I go home? It's just my mom and I'm the reason why my dad and sister got detained."

"Then can I take you somewhere?"

"What's with you always carrying me places?"

"You can't keep up. And I like to hold you." He mumbled, knowing that if he started blushing he would look like a fire hydrant.

This time, he swept her up in his arms. Running, he mentally kicked himself for being so sappy. He could go on about how their hearts beat in tandem, but really, he was Wally West. Girls swooned over him, not vice versa. He hoped Artemis was surprised, instead of some secret location; he took her into a city. She didn't say anything until he dropped her on a quaint porch.

"Is this your house?"

"I wish." He cast his eyes around the familiar surroundings. "It's my Uncles house actually."

Artemis visibly paled. "The Uncle who may or may not have voted for my mind wipe and imprisonment?"

"Uncle Berry and Aunt Iris are the best, really. They've been there when my parents were definitely not. Trust me."

She nodded and he knocked on the door. After a second, his aunt opened the door looking tired and confused.

"Wally and... Artemis?"

"Hey Aunt Iris. Can we come in?"

She nodded and stepped aside, allowing the two teenagers to enter. "Barry, Wally's here!" She called. "And he brought a guest."

A muscular blonde man in sweats and a sweatshirt ambled in. His face remained blank when he saw Artemis. "Wall-man, I didn't think you were coming by. I heard about Harley Quinn."

"We didn't really want to stay in the sewers."

His uncle laughed. "Of course not." Barry looked to Artemis. "I suppose I haven't met you without the mask yet. I'm Barry Allen, your normal, friendly forensic scientist."

"I'm Artemis Crock." She shook his hand firmly.

"Trust me," He laughed. "I know all about you. Why don't you two settle in and Iris can heat up some left overs. I'm sure Wally's starving." He winked.

"Actually, I wasn't planning on staying at home tonight and I don't think Artemis wants to go back to Gotham, so can we stay with you?"

Barry raised an eyebrow. "Slumber party?"

Artemis looked uncomfortable. "Uh..."

"Of course. Why don't you two go take showers then? Separately. You both smell like Gotham sewers."

Smiling, Wally led Artemis upstairs to show her where things were. As she closed the door behind her Wally smiled to himself. He definitely still had it.

**A/N: Holy Spitfire Batman. I just... I'm sorry. It was inevitable. I'm having a lot of Wally/Artemis feels (even though I didn't like them at first) and it all spilt out in some very OOC writing. But, I do have a question. Should I continue this? Reviews are lovely and appreciated but scarce and there's no reason to write something that no one wants to read... So tell me what you think. I could keep going or end this piece.**

**-Star**


	39. Chapter 38

**A/N: There's a special bonus segment at the end that's not Artemis POV. See you at the end author note!**

**December 8****th****, 2012 (Midnight)/Central City**

**Artemis**

The water swirled down the drain, soap bubbles peacefully disappearing from sight. Artemis winced as the hot water pounded against her stomach, the newly formed scar from her father still tender. Her dad had slashed her with a knife. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Her dad was evil and cruel, but he loved her. She was his little girl and she knew it. Vengeance is a funny thing, it can blur connections.

It would all be alright, wouldn't it? She had Wally now. When she finally turned the water and toweled herself dry, she was almost ready for what would most likely be an awkward evening with Wally, Iris and Barry. She could do it, she reassured herself. Barry had been so polite; it would be a crime not to repay him.

After dressing in the pair of sweats and baggy Flash t-shirt of Wally's that he kept here, she padded down the stairs. Iris was lounging on the couch with Barry's arm around her, Wally sitting on the ground leaning a recliner. Everything was so cozy, and unlike Artemis' apartment, it looked like a real family lived her. When Wally saw her he smiled and gestured for her to come sit by him. She complied, bodies pressed together.

"We were just talking about you. Wally says you're something special." Iris smiled.

"You were?" Artemis turned to Wally.

"You're the hot topic." He grinned boyishly. "Literally."

"I'll admit Barry and I are quite nosy. But Wally never has gotten this excited over a girl, especially not one from the hero community."

"I'm hardly a hero." Artemis snorted, bringing up the elephant in the room. When no one said anything, she prepared for the worst. "Listen, can we just talk about it? I know I screwed up and-"

"Whoa, Artemis." Barry laughed. "We know all about what happened. Wally forgives you though, and so do we."

"Really? That's it?"

"I'll admit, I wanted to send you to jail first because you were going to hurt him. But Iris talked some sense into me. This job isn't easy, there aren't really any rules. You did the right thing, and if Wally thinks your heart is in the right place, then I support you two."

She didn't have to say anything, couldn't really say anything. She just beamed, letting Wally stroke her hand with his larger thumb. She leaned against his shoulder, soon feeling her eyes start to droop. Before long she could feel herself start to sleep. Barry and Iris were just a background track. Wally however was startling real.

**XXX**

_It was happening again, a recurring dream that she couldn't shake. They were in that damned warehouse, Artemis choking as thick black smoke billowed from the fiery warehouse. Then she would see the trail of blood. As if pulled by a puppeteer's string she followed the trail. _

_Pushing back bile that rose, she faced her mother. She was lying on the floor as if she had just fallen, body twisted. "Artemis, how could you not avenge me?"_

"_You wouldn't want this." Artemis said, unable to look away. "You said not to get involved in this."_

"_You've ruined my life!" Her mom screeched. "I'm paralyzed, and you kiss our worse nemesis? How could you betray your father and sister like that?"_

"_I didn't, I-"_

"_We took care of it ourselves." Her mother whispered._

"_No," Artemis spun in a circle, trying to see through the flames. "Wally!"_

"_Artemis." It was Wally, and he had an arrow through his chest. "I loved you." His body fell to the ground._

_She ran to him, clutching him to her chest as she cried. "Come on Wally, please."_

"_You killed him, didn't you?"_

_Artemis looked up. "Robin?"_

"_Hello Megan," M'gann sneered. "Artemis is just as bad as her family."_

_They were around her, her friends and they were looming down above her._

"_I didn't kill him." She protested. "I wouldn't."_

"_Your arrow is in his chest." Kaldur snapped. "You hold his body."_

"_I swear I didn't-"_

"_Oh, because your word means so much?" Zatanna challenged. "Honest Artemis whose entire life is a lie."_

"Artemis." The voice was faint, barely a whisper in her ear.

"_Please, I didn't kill him." She sobbed. "I think I lo-love him."_

"Artemis, please wake up."

"_I didn't kill Wally!"_

"Artemis!" The frantic tone jerked her to reality, fiery warehouse fading to the blackness of the Allen's guest bedroom. "Artemis, I've got you." Wally was in bed with her, sitting on the edge and holding her.

"Wally, I...I..."

"I know, I heard. My room is right next to yours."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I figured. Barry sleeps like the dead and snores like a lumber jack so Aunt Iris wears ear plugs."

Artemis suddenly sat up, keenly aware of the fact that her hair was going everywhere and she was sweating bullets. "You were probably waiting for an excuse to get in here."

Wally shrugged, boyish smile in place. "What can I say Arty? The temptation was too great."

Rolling her eyes, she lightly socked him. Wally nursed the likely to bruise arm and looked at her. His bright green eyes were like lanterns in the dark.

"Thank you, for checking on me."

"Artemis, can I ask... is this common?"

"I've never slept well." She admitted. "Not with my dad the way he was, and especially not after my sister left. But this dream has only been happening since my dad and sister tried to kill you."

"It's over now." Wally said softly, steadily. "I've got you."

She tried to smile. "You could stay, just for a little while if you wanted."

"Geez beautiful, I thought you'd never ask." He grinned. "But I've got something better. Come to my room. The bed is bigger and it's more comfortable."

"Is it clean?"

"Um, I don't know. Do you care?"

"I don't want to sleep if there are science experiments on the floor."

Wally groaned. "Fine. I'll go clean my room and you can wait."

This time she could smile. "Thank you."

She watched his figure retreat, as if the darkness was swallowing him whole. Wally having super speed worked in their advantage, because not even two minutes later he returned.

"Are you ready now princess?"

Ignoring him, she untangled herself from the covers, padding across the soft carpet towards the door. She paused in the doorway, letting Wally ogle her long tan legs that stretched out from under her baggy t-shirt.

"Like what you're seeing?" She teased.

Wally tried to close his mouth. "May I say beautiful, you are not bad on the eyes."

"You should take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Why? I can have the real thing."

Smiling, she entered Wally's room. He had semi cleaned it, but papers littered the desk with a bunch of science looking materials. The walls were yellow, and the bedding Flash. Among various news clippings about Flash and his partner, Flash Boy there was also a Robin poster.

"Somebody has an ego." She whistled.

"More like my Aunt does. I dig the Flash sheets, but the news clippings are hers."

"It's... adorkable."

"Did Artemis Crock just say 'adorkable'?"

"Must be sleep deprivation."

"Then let's change that." Wally climbed into bed.

Her legs trembling, Artemis crawled in after him, the sheets surprisingly warm. Warmer yet was Wally. In his shorts only, he was solid next to her. "I'm going to have to take you to Central High and show you off." He mumbled sleepily. "No one will believe me that I have someone like you."

"You mean the irresistible Kid Dork? I thought girls fell at your feet."

"Sometimes I fall at theirs. It's usually after a bully pushes me though."

"You take out armed thugs, how does a bully catch you?"

"We all have our covers." Wally shuddered slightly next to her. "I guess it's my turn to be honest."

"If you tell me will you have to kill me?"

"I'll have to try."

Artemis rolled so that she was facing Wally. Suddenly, every freckle on his face seemed clear in the dim lighting. "Well, we'll see what they do when I get a hold of them."

"Beautiful and feisty. I can deal with it."

"You better." She kissed him. "Now, I'm getting to sleep. It's three am."

Rolling over, she felt Wally scoot closer. He wrapped a strong arm around her, pulling her close. Soon, he was out. He snored every third breath, the air brushing her neck. But she was okay with it. For the first time since Jade left, she felt at home.

**XXX**

**Somewhere very deep in Project Cadmus...**

They had killed her friends.

Well, she wasn't positive, but it had been so long since she had seen anyone but her doctors that she didn't know who was alive at this point. Everything had fallen apart so fast. Screams echoed around her, but they were becoming dimmer and dimmer.

She was afraid. She was losing herself, each time the clock ticked away another piece of her vanished. Why she was here, who she was before, it all was becoming one big streaky blur. But that was what they wanted.

In her pod she couldn't move, just stare out across the strange room. She wasn't even conscious most of the time, trapped in some hellish drugged stupor. They kept her sedated while they broke her mind, tried to unravel the puzzle so they could twist it to their own plans. She had resisted thus far, but she couldn't stay strong forever.

Across from her was a girl. She too was trapped in a pod. On it was a black symbol and the words 'Project Kar' in thick, chunky font. She looked like she was sleeping, blonde hair floating around her face. She didn't know who the other girl was, but it made her happy to know she wasn't alone as well as a little sad that someone else was being held.

Held... that reminded her of something. There was someone who had once held her, and it made butterflies dance in her stomach. If only she could remember, she could figure out who she was. Blue eyes that was all she had of this mysterious person. That and a laugh that was trollish but adorable. She had to remember, had to find him.

Her fists clenched, making it the first motion in months. When she had first been taken here, they had pried something out of her hand. She still remembered the way the sharp metal had bitten into the soft flesh of her palm. It had been special, she had screamed when they had taken it, nearly broken the pod. That was when she was still capable of such things.

They were experimenting on her again; at least she thought they were. Her body and mind often felt disconnected. It was like she was floating in a black expanse while ethereal voices whispered fallacy in her ears.

They were stealing from her again. Memories were sliding from her mind like soap bubbles down the drain. She wanted to reach out and grab them, stuff them away where no one could find them, but she couldn't even move.

_The feeling of flight..._

_Her sister stroking her hair..._

_The crack of a lasso..._

And then there it was. Two intertwining W's resting on a black gloved hand. Wonder Girl and Boy Wonder. That was what she had tried to remember. Then that as well faded away, taking with it the last of her hope.

**A/N: Thank you so much, for all the reviews. It hasn't been long since the last chapter was posted, it's amazing what inspiration can do to you. I'm so sorry for all the sappy Spitfire, I swear to stop until Wally and Artemis's perspective comes back. As for this stories status, I'll continue with it as long as you guys want until I reach the end. (I have quite a bit to go.) So, until then, thank you again. Review and I'll see you soon!**

**-Star**


	40. Author's Note

To everyone who follows this fic, thank you first of all. Your support has been phenomenal and I don't deserve such great readers. After this long gap, I promise to get back to work on this story as soon as school gets out. Life has been crazy, but I haven't forgotten about you all. As for the season finale of YJ... I am so glad that I put all the Spitfire into the last two chapters that I did. It really makes me happy in retrospect. SO, please don't give up on me and I'm sorry for the break. We'll be together again soon.

~Star


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